Little Soldier
by hoard-of-stars
Summary: Nobody expected Nico to train the younger kids at camp. Nobody expected Will Solace to fight him and for Nico to run into into the forest. But nobody, absolutely nobody, expected him to die. Now London Maxwell, Will, and Hazel are leading a quest to bring him back from the realm of the dead. But how do you bring back someone who believes the world is better off without him?
1. Chapter 1

It was a normal day at camp.

Haha, just kidding. A day at camp is anything _but_ normal.

But the day Piper McLean was having so far could have been mistaken for normal. There was a new but unclaimed camper that she was tasked with showing around. Her name was London Maxwell, and it was kind of a long story how Nico and Grover had found her while the seven of the prophecy plus Reyna, Nico, Thalia, and Grover were visiting Sally Jackson, so we'll skip that.

But anyway, the young demigod was swivelling her head everywhere, drinking in the sights as Piper was pointing out landmarks. "Over there's the Aphrodite Cabin, my cabin actually, and that's the Big House, and if you look hard enough you can see Zeus' Fist just over there." She pointed at the massive rock and was about to show London the strawberry fields when Percy and Jason came sprinting out of the woods.

"Who are they?" the little girl piped up. She was about six, with wavy charcoal coloured hair. "Oh, that's just Percy and my boyfriend Jason. They're kinda the big-shots around here so-"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, PIPER!" Percy shrieked.

"What…?" Piper furrowed her brow.

"HE'S COMING!" Jason shouted while looking over his shoulder.

"Who? I swear to the gods, I will charmspeak both of you to slap yourselves depending on the intensity of whatever stupid thing you did this time." Piper threatened. To think she could have one almost normal day was so naive of her.

Percy glanced back at the forest. "Oh… shit…." "C'mon, man, we can barricade ourselves in Cabin 1 until it's over." Jason offered.

Piper and London stared at the forest. An absolutely drenched Leo Valdez came rocketing out of the woods, his hands aflame. "I'LL KILL YOU YOU LITTLE SHITHEADS!" He screeched as he threw a fireball in their direction.

"Oh gods." She turned to London. "Come with me for a minute, I'm so sorry sweetie." London followed her to the Zeus Cabin and Piper knocked on the door. "What did you morons do this time?" She sighed.

"Well you see…" Percy began nervously, his voice muffled from behind the door.

"We may have, um-"

"Sorta-"

"Possibly-" Jason coughed and twiddled his thumbs.

"Kinda-"

"Flooded Bunker 9."

Piper groaned and facepalmed as Leo hollered in the background," GET BACK HER SO I CAN KILL YOU PERCY JACKSON AND JASON GRACE!" and started a forest fire.

London was quiet from shock for a good thirty seconds. Then she asked, kind of nervously," Is this normal?"

Piper smiled and rumpled the younger girl's hair. "You should have seen the time when Hazel and Frank loaded the Athena Cabin with spiders. Chiron was asking why it sounded like a mob was going on a killing spree at 3 AM." She busted out in laughter.

"Or- or- that time that Percy, Jason, and Leo all worked together to trap Nico in a closet and then set a third of it on fire, flood another third of it, then electrocute the last part of it. Oh gods… when he got out of the closet he was furious. He raised a dozen skeletal armies to capture them, wound up in the infirmary for a month, and still wouldn't let them go. It was rich. Just don't get Nico mad like that. He'll kill you unless you're Hazel."

London frowned a little. "Mr Nico is really nice. Don't talk about him like that."

"I know he's nice, London." Piper said soothingly.

"Then why are you saying that stuff about him?"

"He's not mean. He's been through a lot. It's just- he gets mad sometimes. Everybody gets angry sometimes." Piper tried to explain.

Just then Nico shadowtravelled a few feet away with a bag of McDonalds. "Hey Pipes." He glanced at the forest fire. "Oh gods. What did Percy and Jason do this time?"

"They flooded Bunker 9." Piper shook her head.

Nico snorted. "Morons." He glanced at London and smiled. Not a creepy smile, a nice smile. "Hey little soldier. What you been up to?"

"Piper's showing me around camp, Mr Nico." She said eagerly. She stared at the bad of McDonalds in his hands. "I swear I know you from somewhere. You act so much like somebody I know- I just can't place it!" She sounded near tears.

"Listen, little soldier. How about you go to the place where they keep the weapons and I'll help you choose one out in a minute. Then we can train. Sound good?" London nodded and walked off.

Nico sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Be with you in a minute!" he called to London. Then he pulled Piper aside. "I know why she knows me from somewhere. I think- I think- she might be my sister. Bianca, she chose rebirth. I think that London might be her rebirth."

"Of course. It makes perfect sense." The pieces started coming together in her brain. "It's the after effects of the River Lethe. She subconsciously remembers you as her brother from her past life but she can't place it. When did you realize?" 

Nico sighed again. "I suspected for a while. Then this confirmed it. Promise me you'll take care of her while I'm not around. I'll tell everyone when I see fit, so keep quiet please?" Piper nodded as Nico ran off to help London.

About ten minutes later, London ran up to Piper, a long-ish black blade in her hand. It looked kind of like a spatha, only the blade looked almost paper thin and was needle sharp. It looked incredibly deadly, like it could hit the places no other ordinary blade could, and have a thousand pounds of iron thrown on top of it with little to no damage on the weapon.

"Nice weapon." Piper winked.

Nico shook his head a little. "It's Stygian Iron, like my own sword. It's really dangerous. I haven't ever seen one designed like that. But she insisted. I think she can handle it. She looks like a worthy little fighter." He turned his attention to young London. He spoke with a fondness Piper hadn't ever heard from him. "So, little soldier, what're you gonna name it?"

London looked at the blade curiously. "Name it?"

"So it's officially yours. It's a mark of ownership, I guess."

She thought for a long time. Then she said," Reaper. I want to call it Reaper. I can't shake the feeling that this sword will be taking a lot of lives one day. It sounds dumb, but I can't shake it." 

Nico knelt down. "When you're a demigod, always trust your instincts. Reaper sounds perfect. Now, how about we go start your training. Piper can finish her tour later."

That was fine with Piper. She had more important things to do- like stopping Leo from murdering her boyfriend and her best friend's boyfriend in cold blood.

 **Hey all! Sooo… yeah. The beginning started out as inspiration from a Tumblr thing I saw. Then I got the idea for a relationship between London Maxwell, my OC, and Nico di Angelo. I don't know about the rest of the fandom, but I adore the idea of Nico training small children at camp :D**


	2. Chapter 2

_Three years later..._

The sound of metal flashing echoed across the sword-fighting arena as the blades of Nico di Angelo and London Maxwell struck against each other, each trying to gain the upper hand in the sparring match.

Reyna, Hazel, and Piper sat watching on the sidelines, calling out bits of advice, encouragement, and commentary in that order.

It had been three years since the day London had chosen Reaper, a dangerously thin, needle-sharp sword, as her weapon. Three years since the day Nico's suspicions that London was the rebirth of his sister, Bianca, were confirmed. Most people knew, but Nico had kept that piece of information a secret from the younger girl, for reasons he refused to admit.

London still had not been claimed by her godly parent, which was strange. She tried not to let it show, but everyone knew she was disappointed.

The crisp, sharp evening breeze sent shivers running down Nico's spine as he deflected the blow delivered by his partner a millisecond before it would have hit its target. London may have been only nine, but she showed just how good she was at fighting the moment she stepped into the arena. It never ceased to amaze anyone.

London took a few quick steps back to avoid being stabbed in the thigh as Nico jabbed his sword forward three brisk times, but swiftly countered by butting the hilt of her own sword into Nico's stomach. Hard.

The black haired demigod groaned and doubled over onto his knees, clutching his gut and writhing in discomfort. London's face contorted and she dropped her blade onto the grass with a dull _THUD_ and ran over to his side.

"Nico, oh my gods, I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to-" Her frantic voice was cut off as Nico's head suddenly snapped up and he tackled her onto the ground, pinning her down by the shoulders. He chuckled a little and let her up.

"Rule number one, little soldier: Never show mercy on your opponent. It could cost you your life."

London nodded, grabbing her sword off the ground. She started walking towards the benches as Nico gingerly picked his sword off the grass and swiped the air behind London's neck with it. She immediately whipped around, knocking the sword out of his hand with one swift flick of the wrist, holding the tip of her blade underneath Nico's chin with a smug smirk.

"Good job, little soldier." Nico rumpled her hair. "You show some-"

A voice from behind cut him off. "Nico. I need to speak with you." The voice was tight and controlled.

Nico made a quick about-face and found himself staring at a thin-lipped Will Solace. The undertones in his voice suggested that Nico did something wrong. He racked his brains to try to remember what that could have been.

"What happened?" He asked the question slowly, carefully.

Will nearly exploded at him. "What happened? What _happened_?" He jabbed a finger into Nico's chest. "I witnessed the whole thing from the Apollo Cabin. You both could have been seriously hurt with the reckless way you were fighting!" His blue eyes flashed and Nico felt a sharp pang of hurt. This wasn't the Will he was used to. Then he felt anger, overwhelming anger.

"She has to learn! They all have to learn!" He roared back. "Better injured then dead! Why do you think I _teach_ them? So I can go easy on them the same way an empousa will? NO! I teach them to keep them alive! So that they can grow up and have _lives_! In a way, I'm doing your job!" Tendrils of darkness started curling around my feet, lapping at my ankles as the grass of the sword-fighting arena started to blacken.

"Doing my job? _Doing my job_? You're teaching them to kill themselves with cockiness! Fighting isn't important! Knowing when to back out and save yourself and the lives of others is important! Is your head on backwards? I'm sorry, but I really don't think I can surgically correct a twisted mind!" Will spat the words at me, fingering his scalpel at the same time.

" _I WANT TO KEEP THOSE I CARE ABOUT ALIVE!_ I don't want to be responsible for not being able to teach them how to save themselves! Demigods don't depend on healers as much as they do swords, Solace!"

"That's _enough,_ Nico. Both of you, come with me to infirmary right now! I need to make sure neither of you injured yourselves." Will took a deep breath and ran his hand through his curly blond hair. "Only the gods know what you-"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Nico said lowly. "I'm not backing down this time. I'm not about to deny these children the protection they deserve."

"If you want to protect them, let me keep them safe!" Will shot back at him.

"How are you going to keep them safe?" Nico laughed bitterly. "In case you've forgotten, not every injured demigod that enters your infirmary comes back out. No, not even you can save everyone. I think you have plenty experience with that, don't you, Solace?" He didn't mean to blurt out that last part, but seeing the effect it had on Will was enough to make it worth it. Will took a step back, and Nico's lips twisted in a cruel smile. He had forgotten how satisfying it was to inflict emotional pain, to make someone feel the intensity of the hurt they made you feel.

"All those fallen heroes, lying cold and still on those hospital beds, dead because you couldn't save them, dead because you weren't good enough, dead because nobody could teach them the one tactic that could have saved their lives." Will's face turned red, and he looked as if he wanted to scream at him or start sobbing- maybe both.

At that second, London stepped between them. "Stop it, both of you! That's enough!" Her voice was strangled and thick with tears, and it burned his heart but at that point Nico didn't care.

"No, it isn't!" Nico could see red flames dancing in his blue eyes, so vengeful and fueled on hate that even the overflowing depths of azure folded into the two pupils could not extinguish it.

"Fallen heroes, you said? Reminds me of someone, don't you think? The sister who left you because you were a _burden_ on her shoulders, the person who died because she wanted to get away from you. Do you remember, Nico? How Bianca joined them and made new friends, better friends, and left you behind? You're selfish, Nico. You're teaching them to fight not for their own safety, but so another person can't be ripped away from you. You haven't even told your star pupil the reason you're training her with such disgusting intensity." Malice was painted on Will's expression, and Nico wanted to scream.

"Don't go there, Solace. Don't you dare bring them into this."

"Nico?" London's voice was small and scared. "What does he mean?"

Nico inhaled sharply and turned to the little girl. With as much calmness as he could summon, he said quietly," Nothing, nothing. He's just trying to annoy us."

"Even now you're being selfish!" Will's laugh was bold. "Even now you can't tell her that you know why she always feels as if she knows you but can't place it. Why your mere presence nags at the back of her mind like a forgotten memory from another life- oh, wait!" Will smirked cruelly. "It is."

"What does he mean, forgotten memory from another life!" London raised her voice. "Tell me what he means!"

"Yes, tell her. Tell her that she's the rebirth of the sister you lost all those years ago. Tell her the only reason why you're training her is because you can't lose that sister again. Tell her how long you knew and why you never told her." Nico was speechless as shock overtook London's face. "Even now you're being selfish."

"You lied to me. You lied to me! You _lied to me_!" London sputtered, pointing her finger at Nico. "You told me that you had no clue why I felt like I knew you! You're not training me to protect me at all. You're training me so that you don't lose your sister again. It was never about me, was it?"

Nico felt like ice was filling his insides. "London, please-"

"NO! You _lied_ to me. You- you- _I_ _hate you!"_ London rubbed her arm across her eyes and looked at Nico with so many emotions; misunderstanding, betrayal, confusion, pain, misery- she reminded him of himself only a few years prior, when he had found out Bianca was dead. She gave him one last horrible glance of loathing before running into the forest.

Nico turned towards Will, every fibre of his being visibly trembling with barely controlled rage. "They need to know how to fight." His voice was shaking audibly. The rage slowly died down on Will's face as he, undoubtedly, realized what he had said, what he had done. "They made not have to fight in a war against Titan lords or earth goddesses tomorrow, but they are _demigods._ And knowing how to fight could mean the difference between living another day. They didn't choose this life, neither did I, neither did anybody in this arena or any of the fallen! But you know what? Maybe, just maybe, teaching them to fight and teaching them well could prevent them bleeding out to death on one of your hospital beds. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a camper to find."

He threw his sword at Will's feet and ran off towards the forest, tears finally spilling down his face, trying to focus on the sun setting behind the horizon as he closed his eyes, only to be greeted with the image of London's final horrified glance at him before she had scampered into the darkness of the woods.

 **Hey everyone! So, I just wanted to clarify that Solangelo is NOT together in this fic (at least, not yet ;))**

 **Lots and lots and lots of kudos to** _ **DelightedCatNerd,**_ **who helped me with this chapter a lot. Go check out her profile, she has lots of amazhang fics!**

 **Thanks to everyone who waited. I've had a bit of writer's block for** _ **Dolce Bambina**_ **, but I have not given up on it, don't worry! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

_Nico's POV_

The branches of the forest pulled back and slapped me repeatedly as I tore through the underbrush, trying to find the camper that I had betrayed. I was running so fast I didn't even see where I was going, which was a mistake on my part.

I smacked into something tall, but it didn't feel like a tree. I rubbed my nose as I squinted at what I had bumped into.

"You really must watch where you're going, dear." the woman said nonchalantly as she checked herself in a compact mirror. Instantly I knew who she was and scrambled back five feet.

"With all due respect, Aphrodite, I've had enough lovey-dovey nightmares with your brute of a son, Cupid, alright? Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find a camper named London Maxwell." 

I attempted to shove past her, but something she said stopped me.

"Oh, London? My daughter is truly wonderful, isn't she? Shows a lot of potential. You know, don't you just hate how my children are classified as worthless makeup obsessors?" She sighed and snapped her compact mirror shut with a deft _CLICK._

"London's your daughter? She's a child of Aphrodite?" After the initial shock wore off, I was more than a little annoyed at the goddess of love and beauty. "Why exactly haven't you claimed her yet? It's been three years, in case you haven't noticed!"

Aphrodite huffed, annoyed. "I would have claimed her on her first day at Camp Half-Blood, but old Lightning Face up there forbade me from doing so until today." The sky flashed gray and white as she spoke. "Good grief, old man, calm down!" She shouted, shaking her fist at the sky.

"Anyways…" She took a deep breath, no doubt composing herself. "You and I both have our things to be doing. I have to check on my children and make sure that none of them are using Dove after that little spat I had with their company, and you have my daughter to find. So, I'll be on my-" She was cut off by an ear-splitting scream, so shrill it rattled my eardrums.

I looked around wildly because by the _gods_ , I knew that scream from three years ago and that scream meant danger. Aphrodite only looked slightly troubled as she followed me through the forest.

I stumbled into a clearing while Aphrodite magically appeared beside me. London was cornered by a rapidly advancing hellhound. A madly salivating hellhound with crazy eyes.

Aphrodite shook her head mournfully. "Shame. I don't like seeing them die, but my rule is not to get too attached."

My brain short circuited. "She's your _daughter_! Help her!"

Aphrodite shook her head again and touched up her lipstick. "Zeus forbade me from interfering in her fate. He said it was written that she would die by the hand of betrayal in its rawest form… or something like that. Yes, at first I was upset, but he told me that it couldn't be prevented. Like a prophecy, only not."

I watched in disbelief as the hellhound got closer and closer. Then I composed myself.

"Fine." I said. "IF YOU WON'T PROTECT YOUR DAUGHTER, I WILL!"

I charged the hellhound, brandishing my sword, adrenaline charging me like I just downed ten cups of coffee even darker than my soul.

"Go away!" London shrieked, backing up. "Go AWAY!"

"Run!" I yelled, ignoring her comment. "RUN! Get back to camp, go, run, don't look back! You have to go!"

For a while, I was winning. Then I… wasn't winning.

I yelped as I narrowly avoided being skewered by the hellhound's claws. I hit my elbow on a rather large rock and stared up in horror as the hellhound forgot about London and started advancing on me.

Said camper seemed to be grasping how dire the situation was. "What about you?!"

"Just _GO!_ " I groaned. "Get as far away from here as you can!"

"I may be mad at you for not telling me the truth, but I'm not leaving you behind!" There were tears streaming down her face now. "I'm _NOT_ leaving you behind!"

I retreated as far as I could with a dislocated elbow and wound up back-to-trunk with a tree.

Drops of hellhound spit drenched me completely as the energy rapidly drained from my bones. The oversized mutt growled at me, frothing at the mouth before striking me with its claws.

The claw went straight through my stomach.

The pain was so intense I couldn't even scream. My vision was swimming rapidly and my fingers were wet as I pressed them to my abdomen, trying to staunch the bleeding. Indistinct whispers were blocking my hearing and I was faintly aware of the hellhound turning its attention back to London.

The voices became deadly silent and my vision became clear enough to see a frantic London. One last surge of energy flowed through me and I opened the ground beneath the hellhound. It fell straight to the Underworld.

London came running towards me. "Get back up, please get up! Come on, you can do it!"

A strangled noise passed through my lips as she tried pulling me to my feet.

"London- London, stop." I croaked. "I'm- I'm not going to make it."

"Don't say that! Get up!" Her tears were dripping onto my clothes as she shook her head frantically.

"I'm a son of Hades. I know what death is… this is it." My vision blurred again and the world swayed.

"This _isn't_ it! Please get up, Nico, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." She began to sob.

A trickle of blood escaped my lips as I lifted my blood stained hand to her face. "Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have told you- I knew… I should have." Everything was turning white and I was faintly aware of trampling footsteps and more and more voices.

"They're here- they're here, Nico. You're gonna be okay, you'll be fine. Okay? Don't be scared." London's voice trembled.

"I'm not scared of death." I rasped. A cloaked figure appeared and held its hand out to me. "It's like visiting my dad and stepmom for a really long time, that's all…" I choked a little as fingers started sweeping the hair out of my eyes.. "Listen, little soldier. Later, go to my cabin, in the bottom drawer of the sidetable- there's a piece of paper. Show it to the people whose names are on it, okay? Do that for me."

I stretched my hand out to the cloaked figure. I felt someone's hands pressed to my gut, and healing hymns reached my ears. They brought back some energy, but I knew this was the end. No amount of healing would save me this time.

"And little soldier- London? Look at me. For the record- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." A tear trickled down my face as I firmly grasped the hand of the cloaked figure. He pulled me onto my feet and I felt loose- free. I saw London shaking me, and Will Solace's hands still firmly pressed to my stomach, his face contorted in concentration. Hazel was hunched over, sobbing with her hand still on my forehead. Dozens of more people were in that clearing, not counting Aphrodite.

I was there long enough to see London start glowing with a pink aura and suddenly she looked like a queen, decked out in glittering robes and jewels. I reached out to them, but the cloaked figure pulled me away, and guided me into the Underworld.

 **Well, there's that chapter done. Most of the next chapters will be in London's Point of View, just giving you all a heads up. Happy reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

I don't think I was ever really the same after Nico died. Even now, three years later, I feel a stabbing pain in my chest whenever someone mentions him. I wouldn't say I was traumatized by the situation, but seeing your childhood mentor and best friend get impaled by a rabid hellhound can't _not_ leave you mentally or emotionally damaged in some way or form.

Truth be told, it seemed so _unreal_ that Nico would go down in battle. Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, the freaking Ghost King himself! He seemed like the type of person who would give Thanatos the finger and walk away, saying that he didn't want to have to visit his parents permanently this early in his lifespan.

I threw myself into my training. Aphrodite girls can't fight? Fuck that shit, I can whip your ass at sword-fighting, mentally scar you with my sheer intimidation, and make you seriously believe that you _are_ going to die by my hand, all while looking fabulous and still be at the Dining Pavilion in time for dinner with my siblings. But anyway.

I think Drew Tanaka, my older half-sister and a total bum, considers me a disgrace to the Aphrodite Cabin. She actually once said that to my face and charmspoke me into dressing up like a Barbie doll, so in order to get revenge I cut all her designer clothing to shreds, replaced all her shoes with Crocs, all of her perfumes with cheap fragrance, her makeup with office supplies, and filled her shampoo bottle with superglue. And yes, I got her reactions on tape.

But my point is, I channel myself into proving just how well I can kick everyone's ass. Nico wanted me to learn right from the very start how to protect myself and everyone around me. It's like my personal mission to fulfill that for him.

I didn't understand the argument that Will and Nico had the day he died. I do now, though. Nico wanted him to understand that knowing how to defend yourself well could save your life. Will wanted him to realize that no matter how hard we trained, we would still get hurt, and that was where healers and personal health came in. A lot of times, when it's late at night and I can't sleep, I wonder which might have saved Nico, in the end.

People don't get me. So he died, they say. Get over yourself already! That's not how it works, and I get mad at them for thinking like that. One of my only friends is Hazel. She understands.

Sometimes I wonder if it was my fault he died. Had I not run off into the woods that day, Nico would still be alive and well. Of course, people tell me it isn't my fault. They say that just to make me feel better, though. They don't really mean it.

But that's enough about my regrets and all that mushy disgusting stuff. It happened and that can't be changed.

Right now, I'm in the Dining Pavilion with Piper. We're eating lunch and I have Reaper clutched tightly in one fist. She swallows a bite of her tofu taco and says offhandedly," You know, Rachel Dare's visiting camp today. She's due to be here in a couple of hours, actually."

I nod. "Cool. Rachel's cool. We're cool."

She sighs. "C'mon, maybe she might give a prophecy! Oh, schist, wait, hold on, nope! That would be bad if it involved any of the seven of the _last_ prophecy! I swear, if she gives a third Great Prophecy I will scream."

"Have fun." I deadpan as I take another bite out of my sandwich. "I'm gonna go train. Wanna come with me?" Okay, now do you see why I have no friends?

"Nope. I've got a date with Jason later." She winks at me.

I gag. "Who needs men anyway? I can already open a sealed jar on my own, so what other use do I have for a guy? They'd just get in the way, clumsy idiots." I huff and take a gulp of Coke.

We eat in silence for a while longer until I push my plate away. "See you at the campfire, Pipes?"

She nods and finger guns me. "I'll be there!"

When I get to the sword-fighting arena, the only person there is an Ares kid there. One of the bulky ones. I ignore her and turn to the dummies. I start striking them down one by one. There's a sort of tranquility for me in training. When I train, I only have to focus on the task at hand. I like that part of training.

When sweat is literally pouring down my forehead and my biceps are aching and pulsing, I decide I need to take a break. I drag- literally drag- Reaper across the grass and plunk down on a picnic table.

I place Reaper on the table and put my head down. It feels like it's trying to pound out of my skull. A shadow materializes on the grass in front of me and I quickly lift my head. The Ares girl is approaching me at a steady pace. I finger the hilt of my sword.

"Hey, kid." She stops two feet away from me.

"Yes?" I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Since you're the only person here, wanna spar?" She tosses a humongous sword with a blade at least four feet long in the air.

"Not now. I'm a bit fatigued now." I drop my head on the table.

"Come on, a quick match!" She insists.

"No thank you!" I make a shooing gesture and grind my teeth.

The girl's demeanor changes completely. "Who are you, anyway?"

"London Maxwell, bitch. Who the fuck are you? What are you entitled to? What have you done that makes you think people give a shit or owe you anything, because let me tell you-" I get on my feet and thrust Reaper at her. "-I don't owe you _anything._ "

"I'm Kirsten Devlin, daughter of Ares. Listen up, punk. I don't think you want to mess with me. I was trained by Chiron himself, and I could easily whip your ass at this game. Who the fuck were you trained by anyway?" Kirsten hisses at me.

"My trainer? Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, the Ghost King himself." I smile angelically. Then I feel bad about it. Nico wouldn't have wanted me to throw his name around like that just for leverage or respect.

"The 'Ghost King'?" She laughs in my face. "That freak? Children of Hades are just troublemakers. Don't even have morals or values. I'm a daughter of Ares, and even I know when to call it off!"

That comment about Nico re-energizes me completely. Let me tell you, people can say all the shit they want about me, but I swear to the Gods- you insult Nico and I'll make you wish you were taking a century long vacation in the Fields of Punishment.

"Fight me, bitch." I growl.

"With pleasure."

She charges me with that giant sword. I use the best tactic I can think of on short notice- retreating so that I'm back to back with a tree and leaping out of the way before I get impaled. That little experiment results in Kirsten's sword getting stuck in the tree, which results in me having more time to think of a better strategy to win this thing.

I decide to go with multiple maneuvers. Kirsten yanks her sword out of the tree and turns to me, baring her teeth like a rabid hellhound. She charges me again and I feint a thrust on her right, so when she parries I can whack her with the flat of my blade on her left side. She aims her sword at my face, so I toss my blade over her head and roll under her legs, popping up just in time to grab my sword and tackle her from behind.

At this point, a small crowd of campers has gathered to watch the whole thing.

"When all this is over, you're gonna wish you had just stuck to makeup, Aphrodite bitch." she growled.

I backhand her and hold the tip of my sword to her throat. "Take it back."

"Why should I? What're you gonna do if I don't?" She grins crookedly.

"Take it _back._ " I press the point of Reaper to her throat harder.

"Fine! Fine! Aphrodites aren't bitches…" she spits.

"Not that." I shake her. "What you said about Nico and children of Hades."

She looks incredulous at my statement. " _That's_ what you want me to take back?"

"Yes. Now are you going to do it or are you going to wind up in the infirmary permanently?" I was really getting tired of her shit.

"Fine, fine! Children of Hades… ugh, _can_ be trusted and do have morals and values." she says quickly. She really looked like she was going to puke.

I slip Reaper into the sheath on my belt and turn to walk away. I hear the air slicing behind me and feel something dig into my upper thigh. People were screaming and calling for healers behind me. I glance down and I see Kirsten grinning wickedly, the point of her humongous sword barely visible through the front of my leg. Blood is pouring down my jeans. Of course, the only logical reaction I have to my leg being almost fully impaled is to pull the sword out and toss it at her feet, saying," You dropped this."

The last thing I'm aware of is heads hovering over me before I pass out.


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up to blinding lights and my first thought was: _Am I dead?!_

I attempted to roll out of the bed and hissed in pain when I felt a stabbing in my leg. _Nope, definitely alive._

Will came rushing over. "Hey, London. How're you doing?" His tone was casual, but it had undertones of something I couldn't define.

"Alright. I feel like I just got stabbed." I stretched a little, moistening my lips. There was a lingering of a taste I couldn't place.

Will deadpanned me. "You _did_ just get stabbed."

" _What?!"_ I yelped.

"You were sparring… with Kirsten Devlin… and you did something very similar to a judo flip on her. Then when you were walking away, she stabbed you."

"And then…?" I gestured vaguely.

He sighed. "And then you pulled the freaking blade out of your leg and told her she dropped something. Then you passed out from blood loss." He tried for a smile, but it was empty.

"Oh. Sounds like something I'd do." I shrugged. "So how long have I been out?"

"About seven hours. We stitched up your leg pretty okay and gave you ambrosia." He nodded at a small plate on the bedside table with a few crumbs on it. That would explain the taste in my mouth.

My mind took me back to a faraway memory, something so small, it was barely worth remembering.

 _I was shaking and shivering, suffering from the aftereffects of adrenaline. I drew my knees up to my chest. Everyone around me was talking and laughing, having already explained to me what my life would be like from now on. A symphony only belonging to those who fit. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when nimble fingers touched my wrist._

" _You really should eat something." A sad smile, a voice of concern. One that didn't quite blend into the symphony created by the people around us._

 _I mumbled something along the lines of," 'M not hungry…"_

 _A shuffle of feet, a scraping of spoon against plate. Again, so small but standing out from the flowing melody of people living and belonging. A small serving of homemade macaroni and cheese was placed beside me. "It's yours if you want it. I'm not going to force you to eat, 'cause that doesn't help anything. But when you feel like it, it's there."_

 _A gentle squeeze of the hand, and the creak of the couch cushions. I stared at the bowl in front of me. Slowly, very slowly, another noise became a symphony, one of a fork clinking against the rim of a small bowl, quiet chewing, and small swallows now and then. My eyes locked with another pair, and I felt our solo tunes intertwine and become a duet of two that did not quite belong, two that didn't fit the mold._

 _A small smile and the careful grin in return. The flickering eyes and the scared pair that met. A whispered_ thank you _and a quiet nod in response._

 _Maybe it was good not to fit the mold._

"I missed the campfire, didn't I?" I groaned.

Will looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, about that, you see…"

Austin poked his head in the door. "Will, we got a 23-19 and need you ASAP. ASAP meaning _now_!"

"Oh, no, not a 23-19…" Will facepalmed. "I'll be right back, London, hold on."

Austin gave me a funny look before going back into the back room.

What is going on? I sighed as someone opened the infirmary door and let themselves in. It was Rachel Dare, host of the spirit of the Oracle of Delphi.

"Hi, London." She looked awkward. "D'you happen to know where Will is? I need to ask… him…" She trailed off as she fell on her knees.

"Rachel…? Rachel, are you okay…?" I shrieked as she suddenly got to her feet, her eyes glowing green. She staggered over and grabbed my arm on an iron grip. I fought back the urge to scream as green smoke enveloped us.

" _You shall journey to the Underworld, find a way past its gates,_

 _And free the half-blood who had defied the Fates._

 _One shall be wounded in a moment of success,_

 _While a doctor battles a crazed creature of death._

 _A tempting proposal to live wild and free,_

 _And all the celibate sisters need is loyalty._

 _The war is won before it's begun,_

 _Release the doves, surrender love."_

Then she blinked, and hurriedly let go of my arm. "Did I just- oh Gods, I did, didn't I?" There were finger shaped bruises all up and down my arm.

I was in shock. Pure, paralyzing shock that rendered me temporarily catatonic.

Will came sprinting in from the back. "London, what happened? I thought… I heard a…." He trailed off as he stared at Rachel, the remnants of green smoke, and the bruises on my arm.

"Alright, what happened here?" He pulled out his scalpel and brandished it threateningly.

When nobody answered, he asked once more. "I said, what _happened_?!"

This jolted me out of my catatonia. "I think…" I croaked. Then I cleared my throat and started over. "I think…" I said more strongly this time. "Rachel just gave a prophecy. A prophecy that I have to lead."

"You _can't_ let her go, Chiron! She just got freaking _stabbed_ and you're going to send her off on a quest?! No, I am the doctor and I forbid it!" Will raved to Chiron, waving his arms.

"Hmm." Was all Chiron said. "London, recite the prophecy again, would you?"

"Um, yeah, sure." I cleared my throat, my head spinning. " _You shall journey to the Underworld, find a way past its gates, and free the half-blood who had defied the Fates. One shall be wounded in a moment of success, while a doctor battles a crazed creature of death. A tempting proposal to live wild and free, and all the celibate sisters need is loyalty. The war is won before it's begun, release the doves, surrender love.."_

" _While a doctor battles a crazed creature of death…_ " Chiron repeated, pacing. "A doctor…" He looked up at Will with a certain gleam in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Will asked. Then it seemed to dawn upon him. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. I'm not even a _doctor,_ I'm a healer, and most definitely not a warrior. I don't _do_ quests. Maybe it's some other healer/doctor type."

"Perhaps." Chiron mused. "But the final choice does rest with London, who has to take the quest. One is foretold to be wounded in a moment of success, so a healer would be advised."

They both looked to me. "Well, young Miss Maxwell? If you accept this quest, you can take two companions or none at all. Your choice."

My throat felt dry. I thought about it for a moment before slowly answering," I accept this quest. I will take with me Hazel Levesque, for her knowledge of the Underworld, and…" I glanced at Will. "Will Solace for his healing abilities and son-of-Apollo aura to use against the shadows of the Underworld. When do we leave?"

"As soon as you are healed, London. Quests are no good to anyone if the leader is injured. Will, could you take her to the infirmary for the night?" 

"She owes me about three days in the infirmary for all this trouble." Then he winced, though I didn't know why. "C'mon, London, let's get going."

When we were at the infirmary, Will gave me ambrosia and nectar, then sat beside my cot on a stool and held his head for a long time. I chewed the ambrosia slowly, savoring the taste of the macaroni and cheese that flooded my mouth.

"You know, there was a time when I told someone they had to spend three days in the infirmary for scaring the crap out of me with their stubbornly excessive use of powers." Will finally broke the silence.

"I'm nothing like him." I whispered quietly. "If I were anything like him I would have been able to save a life, not cause the end of one." The macaroni and cheese tasted burnt and acrid in my mouth now.

Will didn't respond for a long time. "Rest up." he finally said, attempting to smile like he did before everything got thrown out of balance. "You've got a good three days here, and I'm determined to make the most of them."

As he was walking out the door, I could have sworn I heard him whisper," I'll do my best to protect her. I promise you, I'll keep her safe. Just like you wanted me to."


	6. Chapter 6

I spent a lot of time thinking about my prophecy in those three days in the infirmary. I decided if anyone was going to die, or if anyone was going 'to be wounded in a moment of success' that it would be me. Not like anyone would miss me, anyway.

I couldn't grasp the fact that I had to resurrect a dead person. It had never been done, and who the hell was 'the half blood who had defied the fates' anyway?!

Piper came to visit me today. "You know…" She hummed as she drew swirly patterns on my bedsheets with her fingers. "Someone was really worried about you when you got hurt."

"For the last time, Pipes, I'm sorry I got into a fight!" I groaned, pummeling the pillow.

"Not me, London, you dork." Piper facepalmed. "That new Tyche camper, Logan Andreas."

"I'm not interested in guys. Or girls. Or anyone- at least, not right now. Sometimes I hate being an Aphrodite." I grumbled.

"Me too, at first." Piper sympathized. "I didn't understand it."

"Neither do I!" I shot at her. All of a sudden I found everything tumbling out in a spiral of frustration and angst, all thrown at Piper in one go though she did nothing to deserve my burden.

"I hate it that I'm so Aphrodite-ish! I'm naturally fucking 'good-looking,' like all Aphrodite kids, even after I dyed my hair the plainest shade of black I could find, even after I tried to cover up my dumb amber eyes with brown contacts, even after I ate chocolate and junk to make myself break out, even after I stayed out in the sun to get an atrocious sunburn and millions of freckles! Boys are bitches and catcall me in the streets when I need to leave Camp to go places or get stuff, and I _hate it! I. Hate. It!_ "

I was boiling with fury and hatred for everything. I hated everything. I hated my fate, my life, my parentage. I hated the fact that Nico was dead because I couldn't control my anger and my feeling of betrayal. I hated the fact that I couldn't fend for myself on that day in the woods. I hated it all.

"You'll sleep now." Piper said after a long moment. I detected charmspeak in her voice but I was so tired I couldn't resist it. "You'll have a dreamless sleep." she continued. "And when you wake up you'll feel refreshed and not so angry."

I slipped into a dreamless bout of unconsciousness.

When I woke up, I heard music. Music that burrowed itself into the depths of my soul and filled my chest with warmth. It was oddly familiar.

 _This is story of a dreamer, a soldier_

 _with the weight of the world upon his shoulders_

 _who's got a little room to grow_

 _better days are near hope is so much stronger than fear_

 _ho ho ho ho_

 _This is an anthem for the homesick, for the beaten_

 _The lost, the broke, the defeated_

 _A song for the heartsick, for the standby's_

 _Living life in the shadow of goodbye_

The music suddenly stopped as Will noticed I was conscious and hovered over me, sticking a thermometer into my mouth and messing around at a table.

"Will?" I asked around the thermometer.

"Hmm?"

"Why does that song sound familiar?" I gave up and spat the thermometer out just as it beeped.

"97.1. Good. Normal body temp." Will ignored my question.

"Answer me." I demanded. So much for charmspeak; I had never felt less refreshed.

Will sighed and looked up at me. "Don't you remember?" he asked with a nostalgic, sad lining to his tone. "He used to play it all the time. In the training grounds, in his cabin, in the dining pavilion, in the mortal world; anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes I play it in private- it makes it feel like he's still around, blaring his awful music everywhere."

I had a sinking feeling in my chest as I did, in fact, remember.

 _I rapped on the door to the Hades Cabin excitedly, dragging Reaper behind me. There was a loud noise blaring from inside. It abruptly ended as Nico opened the door._

" _Hey, little soldier!" He knelt down and opened his arms for a hug. I obliged and he ushered me inside._

 _"Nico, Clarisse was telling me about this new tactic where you jab your sword at someone's ankles and then take them out while they're off balanced." I babbled as Nico adjusted the volume of the blaring noise._

" _Clarisse says a lot of things. It's a good tactic, but predictable. There are better ways to take your enemy out." Nico responded as he cracked open a McDonalds Happy Meal and passed me a chicken nugget. I accepted it and nibbled the edge as the noise started blaring again._

" _Nico, what's that loud noise?" I asked, gripping the handle of my sword._

" _It's only one of the best songs in existence, little London!" He grinned and turned the volume up. It was a couple of verses in, but I could tell why Nico liked it the moment I heard it. It was upbeat and melodious and overall generally pleasant._

Do you remember when we learned how to fly?

We'd play make believe

We were young and had time on our side

You're stuck to the ground, got lost, can't be found

Just remember that you're still alive

I'll carry you home

No, you're not alone

Keep marching on, this is worth fighting for

You know we've all got battle scars

You've had enough

Oh but don't give up

Stick to your guns, you are worth fighting for

You know we've all got battle scars

Keep marching on

 _Within the hour we had replayed it several times and I had memorized the words to it. Nico tossed me a pack of Mythomagic cards and we sang loudly and purposefully off-key as we battled. We only stopped when the door cracked open and Percy stood there, confused._

" _I swear I can explain!" Nico shouted as I panicked because he was panicked and aimed a Poseidon figurine at Percy's face._

 _Let's just say that that was the day I learned how to effectively hide a body._

The memory left just as quickly as it had come, leaving me with misty eyes and a need for fresh air. I hopped out of the bed and grabbed the crutch Will insisted I use, calling behind me that I'd be back soon.

Of course, me being the stubborn brat I am, I threw the crutch into the lake as quickly as I could and sat at its edge. There were no other people there.

I examined the scar on my leg and the neat stitches lining it. I traced it with my index finger as I remembered the time Nico told me about his scars.

" _I got those from a nasty battle with Lycaon, the first werewolf, when Reyna, Coach Hedge, and I were shadow-travelling the Athena Parthenos across the world." Nico pointed at the scratches on his biceps._

 _Reyna had laughed and clapped him on the back. "He got off the worst out of all of us that time."_

 _We were sitting on the grass in the noon light, Hazel, Reyna, Jason, Nico, Will, and I. Nico was showing me the scars he had gotten from previous fights._

" _Yeah, and it took two weeks for me to heal them, mainly because he kept running away whenever I came by with antiseptic to pour on the wounds. Death Boy can face the first werewolf but can't handle the stinging of disinfectant." Will snickered as he took a roll of tape out of his medicinal fanny pack and tossed it at Nico._

" _Shut up, Solace..." Nico muttered good-naturedly, flinging the medical bandages back at him._

" _Nico, what are those ones on your wrists from?" Young, innocent seven-year old me had asked. "How did you get those battle scars?"_

 _Nico paused for a moment. Everyone else did, too. All eyes turned to Nico to see how he would handle the situation._

" _Well, little soldier, not all scars come from Greek and Roman monsters. Sometimes they come from a worse monster, one that sneaks up on you when you're at your weakest and does bad things to you." Nico bit his lip and put his hand over mine._

" _But you fought it off, right?" Seven year old me was terrified at the prospect of a monster that could creep up on you, unnoticed, when you least expect it and give you such awful markings._

" _Yeah, I fought it off eventually." Nico's smile was small. "But I needed my friend's help to do it. Everyone helped me fight that monster. I don't think I could have done it without their help." He had looked at everyone in turn as he said this. "That monster's the type you can't fight on your own, not even the strongest warrior."_

" _Oh…" I turned Reaper over in my lap and inspected the blade. "I'm glad you guys fought it off."_

" _We all are." Hazel said quietly._

" _It's an awful type of monster, and the most terrible thing about it is that no matter how many people it creeps up on, it can't be killed." Jason said bitterly._

" _London, you promise me that if that monster ever creeps up on you, you won't let it give you these scars?" Nico had looked into my eyes pleadingly. I had nodded, being innocent enough to think that it would be an easy promise to keep._

 _I would later learn that was hidden under the sweatbands I now wore on my wrists were a painful reminder that some promises couldn't be kept._

When I shook myself out of my flashback, a woman was sitting in front of me in a flowing _himation,_ braiding flowers into her silky hair.

"Mother." I said coldly, meeting her eyes and glaring as hard as I could. I wasn't scared to let her know how much I hated her.

"Another one of my darlings off on a quest!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "You really should do something with your hair. Why on earth would you dye it, it was such a wonderful charcoal colour. Please, get rid of those nasty contacts-"

"Is this all you have to say to me when I may possibly not come back in several days' time?" I clenched my fists.

"Sometimes I wonder how I ended up with a daughter with such characteristics… you really do take after your father." Aphrodite sighed.

"Gee, thanks." I grumbled.

"Please, daughter, you should try smiling more." Aphrodite looked me up and down, frowning distastefully.

"Why should I? There's not much of a reason to smile these days. I saw my best friend get impaled by a rabid hellhound and bleed out in front of me, all because I couldn't control my anger. That takes away from a person's sanity, doesn't it?"

Aphrodite shook her head. "Ah, Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades. Shame he died. You know, you were supposed to die in his place. It was written in the stars."

My stomach clenched tighter than my fists. "What… what do you mean?" My mouth went dry.

"I had a little meeting with him before he found you and that nasty overgrown brute of a dog. It was about ten minutes before you were claimed, and I mentioned to him you were my daughter. I was so proud of the person you were, so strong and upbeat."

"Key word being _was._ " I hissed.

"Then he had heard you scream. When I wasn't rushing forth to help you make nail polish out of the blood of your enemy, he asked me why I wasn't doing anything. I responded that Zeus forbade me from interfering in your fate, that you were _supposed_ to die. He, apparently, was going to have none of that, daughter, and rushed to help you in my stead." Aphrodite smiled sadly.

"It is, to this day, one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful displays of love, in its purest form, that I have ever seen."

"You mean- you mean- Nico was 'the half blood who had defied the fates'?" I asked in disbelief.

"He loved you so much that he literally defied the Fates for your safety. He changed what was written in stone so you could live." Aphrodite confirmed.

"London! London, we have to get ready for the quest! Get your stuff from your cabin, alright?" Will's voice echoed from the infirmary porch. "You better still have that crutch!"

I winced as Aphrodite tutted. "Well, I must be going. Here you go." She waved her hand and the crutch I had tossed into the lake appeared in my lap and a locket with a snow white dove resting on a bundle of ruby red roses materialized on my neck.

"It will grant you power in a time of helplessness and aid you when a decision must be made." she said softly, and turned to leave.

"Oh, and London?" Aphrodite turned. "To amend your previous statement- I have _always_ been proud of you. I care about my children- I really do. It's cruel irony, isn't it, when you're the goddess of love and you can't think of a form of affection that is beautiful and worthy enough of being presented to your children when you want to show the world they're yours, so you resign yourself to stereotypes, to the obvious- beauty and looks because that gets the message across in such a worn out, known way that it may as well mean nothing at all."

She paused and looked at me with a feeling I couldn't identify.

"Best of luck on your quest, my dear. May we speak again in the fragile, near future." She nodded and disappeared, leaving behind scattered white feathers and the scent of rose lingering on the air.

I found myself staring at the spot where she had been for several minutes after she was gone before I got off the ground, using the crutch as support. I turned to make my way to the Aphrodite Cabin, when I stopped and turned back around. 

After a moment of consideration, I took out my brown contacts and stashed them inside the locket for the time being. I glanced at the white feathers one last time.

"Goodbye, mother."

I continued the hike up to Cabin Ten, thinking about how this may be the last time I would ever see my siblings. If it was- well, I wanted to say my goodbyes.

I didn't want to be die with a burden on my shoulders, with my siblings nor myself ever knowing how much I truly cared for them.

 ***chants* ANGST. ANGST. ANGST. ANGST. ANGST. ALL THE GODS-DAMNED ANGST.**

 **Very angsty chapter. The actual quest will get started next chapter, I just really wanted to explore different dimensions of Aphrodite's character because I wanted to prove she does care for her kids. Lots of London's flashbacks in this one, if two is considered a lot. Hope you all enjoyed! R &R, please! They give me life. Happy reading, all.**


	7. Chapter 7

On my way up to the Aphrodite cabin, I heard several loud bangs and nearly tumbled down the hill.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!" I yelled in the general direction of the bangs.

"Language, young one." Jason Grace suddenly was hovering in the air in front of me. I yelped in surprise and swung my crutch. It smacked him upside the head.

"Ow…" he muttered as he dropped himself onto the ground.

"What do you need, Jason?" I asked.

"Came to wish you good luck. You're gonna need it." Jason peered at me over the rims of his glasses.

"Thanks, Grace." I ran my fingers through my short, spiky hair. I examined Jason for a moment, then leaned up on my tiptoes and pushed his glasses up his nose. Then I continued my trek to Cabin 10.

Will was standing outside waiting with a huge ass shotgun slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, Maxwell." he greeted.

"Solace, the fuck is that?"

"Well, I needed a weapon for the quest." he started to explain. "I took a look in the weaponry closet and long story short, turns out I'm a horrible archer but an amazing gunman." He smiled widely.

"Not even gonna go into details on how you figured that out…" I muttered.

"Let's just say I shot twice at two campers who were getting a little bit agressive and yelled, 'NOBODY MOVE!' at the top of my lungs. It was _sooo_ badass. You going in?" He gestured to the door of the Aphrodite cabin.

I nodded and pushed past him inside. I think my part of the room was the only part that was different. I spray-painted the bed frame a bunch of punk colours, so when it was done it as basically a solid black bed frame with neon colours dripping down the posts. I used lime green, bright olive green, turquoise, darkish galaxy purple, and a lighter version of what I like to call garbage green, though it was actually quite pleasant. ( **A/N: If you want to know the colour scheme I'm talking about go to YouTube and look up Cyber Punk Hair Color, YouTuber Guy Tang** ). The chest at the foot of the bed was plain black, as were the sheets and pillows. I had photos, so many photos pinned up. There were ones of my first sword fight with Nico, the day I got claimed, pranking the Stolls with Percy and Jason, cannonballing into the lake with Hazel and Reyna, so many photos with so many people and so many memories.

My siblings didn't take notice of me at first. Mitchell was perfecting Lacy's left hand nail polish while she was teaching one of our younger sisters, Mia, how to French braid.

I took a few quiet steps into their circle. Piper noticed me first.

"London! You're leaving tomorrow at daybreak, right?" She waved me over. The circle suddenly became hushed and Aphrodite's locket seemed like ice against my skin.

"Yeah. Came to say goodbye, you know- in case I don't come back." I shrugged and tried to act casual.

"Don't talk like that. On my first quest I was _sure_ I was going to die. Look at me now!" Piper said reassuringly. "On a completely unrelated note, how's the leg?"

I shook it a little. "Ambrosia and nectar always help."

"No doubt about that." Piper laughed.

The silence suddenly seemed almost palpable.

"So, um, I guess it's bye for now, guys." I tried for a smile as I turned to face my siblings.

" _Bye for now_?" Mitchell sputtered, dropping the nail polish brush. "You've barely spent any time with us these past three years! I doubt you even know our names!"

"I know all your names." I surprised myself by speaking. "You're Mitchell, that's Lacy, Drew, Mia, Anderson, Daniel, Sophia, Piper…" I rattled off names and pointed at my siblings in turn. Then I took a breath.

"Look, I know I haven't been… the best sister. But that doesn't take away from the fact that you're my family. And if I don't come back, I don't want the burden of you guys not knowing that I do care about you on my shoulders. Capisce?" I shouldered Reaper as I glowered at Mitchell.

"You have a funny way of showing it. Silena always made time to spend with us, even though she did betray us, she at least knew who we were as people. Even Piper did when she wasn't off with Grace or saving the world." Drew snapped. "I don't hold any particular affection for you, but being ignored by your family isn't fabulous at all, hon."

"Can I maybe… make up for it?" I hooked one ankle around the other awkwardly.

"One night can't make up for three years of lost time, London." Lacy said sadly.

"I know that. But isn't there anything- something?" I looked around helplessly. I hated feeling helpless. Everyone looked at each other.

Anderson patted the space next to him after a moment. "Come sit. I'd at least like to know you in case something happens." He glared around at the group, who seemed to be having a debate with their eyes.

Finally, one by one, they nodded and I sat down.

"So, tell us, little sister." Mitchell eyed me, swabbing remover on Lacy's index finger. "Who's London Maxwell? What stuff does she like? What's her deepest fears?"

"Um, I like sword fighting?" My voice went up at the end of my statement and I realized I was still gripping Reaper like a lifebuoy. I quickly set it down.

"We know that!" Drew rolled her eyes and adjusted her lip gloss.

"I like seeing the real world, what's outside of Camp. I like Korean dramas-" I paused to enjoy the look of astonishment that crossed over their faces.

"You like Korean dramas?" Piper asked incredulously.

"I started watching them last year." I shrugged. "It popped up on my Recommended on Netflix."

"Oh gods, what else? First Korean dramas, then what?" Mia grinned devilishly.

"I don't know." I chewed the inside of my cheek. "I don't really spend time stewing over my likes and dislikes." 

"Oh, come on! Anything?" Anderson asked impatiently, satisfied with the results of Lacy's left hand and propping himself up on his elbows.

"Uhhh… dark spring aesthetic?"

They stared at me blankly.

"You know…" I gestured vaguely as I searched for the right words to describe my favorite time of year, that time of year Nico and I would sit in the cold grass by the lake and catch falling cherry blossoms and drink hot chocolate as the cold breeze made us pull up the collars of our coats and shiver.

"When there's trees that are just budding against heavy storm clouds and when the birds sing before the sun fully rises?" I wildly speculated, trying to paint the picture I so clearly saw in my head out of words for them. "When the crocuses are so impossibly purple and when you open the window on a sunny afternoon expecting the warmth but a gust of cold stillness rushes in in its stead?"

"Oh!" Sophia brightened, looking up from a magazine. "I know what you're talking about. Late spring!"

I sighed. Not exactly. "Good enough."

We spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing and I learned so many things. I learned how Anderson's favorite snack were the Entenmann's Madeleines even though they were fatty, and how Drew's favorite brand was Huda Beauty, how Sophia knew Silena and they were very good friends (she told me I would have liked her a lot), and so many other things.

They even talked me into changing my 'style,' which was usually jeans and a t-shirt/light sweater, depending on the season.

By about 9 o'clock, they had decked me out in a short leather skirt with a pair of ripped black leggings underneath, a black tank with velvet stars on it, with a black leather jacket over it. I looked pretty cool, if I do say so myself. I even took out my contacts.

"I never thought I'd say this, but this was a lot of fun." I found myself saying over a mug of hot chocolate, wrapped in blankets.

"You see what you've been missing out on?" Daniel said gleefully. 

"You know, it's like, 9:30. You should really be going to sleep if you wanna wake up well rested tomorrow." Piper glanced at the clock with an air of distaste.

"Yeah, I should…" I mumbled.

Shouts of protests echoed through the Aphrodite Cabin as Piper said, "Lights out, Cabin 10!"

The harpies screeched in protest to the noise outside. I walked over to the window and opened it widely. "Can it, assholes!"

Slamming it shut, I turned to my siblings. "Hold lights for a minute more, Pipes."

Running over to my bed, I opened the chest and pulled out a camera, the kind with film.

Drew seemed to get what I was doing. "Gather around, hons!"

They all crammed into the tiny screen and I snapped a quick shot, examining it with satisfaction.

"Thanks." Everyone murmured their sleepy niceties as I slumped onto my bed and pulled a Sharpie marker out of the bedside drawer.

In the little white frame, I pored over what caption to write. I closed my eyes. The water was running in the bathroom as Drew washed her makeup off. Pages rustled as Sophia put away her magazines. Glass clinked as Mitchell helped Lacy organize her nail polish. Suddenly, just as Piper turned out the lights, it came to me.

In the last moment of light, I uncapped the Sharpie and quickly scribbled two words. Smiling, I pinned it up with the rest of my memories. I pulled the covers over my head and fell asleep with the image of the inhabitants of the Aphrodite Cabin behind my closed lids.

I almost didn't hear Piper creep over to my bed to check if I was asleep. I almost didn't hear her glance at my wall of memories and stifle a gasp. I almost didn't hear her usher my other siblings over to my bed. I almost didn't hear the smile and the happy tears in her voice as she whispered, "Look, guys. Look at that. Do you see what it says?"

I almost didn't hear her read the caption of the photo aloud. " _My_ _Family_."

But I heard. I heard it all.

 _My family..._


	8. Chapter 8

Someone threw the curtains open and I hissed, raising my hands to cover my eyes.

"You stupid fuckface, I will have your head for waking me up at this ungodly hour." I growled, continuing to spew strings of profanity.

"Morning to you too, London." Hazel rolled her eyes. "Will told me to come get you, he said that you'd be less likely to kill me and what in Pluto's name are you wearing?"

I looked down at myself and realized I was still wearing yesterday's outfit. "Spent some time with my siblings last night." I shrugged, trying to come off at nonchalant. Looking around the cabin, I realized something. "Where is everyone?"

"I really don't know." Hazel looked at me tenderly, then sat on the edge of my bed. "Big day, hm?"

"Yeah." I looked at her and suddenly felt immeasurable amounts of guilt. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into this, it's been just six years since the War of Gaea and the Prophecy of the Seven, I shouldn't have chosen you-"

I was cut off by Hazel wrapping her arms around me. "It's fine, London, really. I honestly would have felt insulted if you didn't choose me on a quest to the Underworld, though I must admit it's been a while…" She trailed off, gazing out the window.

I launched myself off of the bed and started digging through my messy closet for clothes. I decided on a pair of black joggers and a black _Imagine Dragons_ shirt. I headed for the bathroom, calling over my shoulder, "I'll be out in five. Can you and Will meet me at Half-Blood Hill?"

Hazel answered yes and I quickly changed, slipping on a pair of socks, sturdy sneakers, and grabbing Reaper before going to Half-Blood Hill. As promised, Hazel and Will were waiting for me- along with the entire Aphrodite and Apollo cabins, Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Jason, Leo, and Reyna.

"We, uh, came to see you off." Daniel said awkwardly.

"You better not die, hon." Drew said snarkily, examining her nails

"Be safe, London." Piper nodded at me and knelt down for a hug. I obliged.

Frank hugged Hazel and she kissed his cheek. Will was saying goodbye to his siblings and giving Austin instructions on how to run the infirmary.

I heard clopping noises and Chiron approached. "It is time for you and your companions to go."

Will shouldered his gun, jaw set. Hazel gripped her gladius, and I swallowed hard.

"Let's do this." I whispered. I started walking down Half-Blood Hill, not knowing what the quest would bring.

Or who would come back.

"So, there's an entrance to the Underworld in Central Park, right?" Will examined his gun.

"Perfect, we can go through the-" I began, but Hazel cut me off.

"No, after, uh, Nico died, Dad shut down that entrance. He decided it would be better for the safety of camp if entrances weren't so close."

"Since when does Lord Hades care about the safety of the campers?" I asked, astonished.

"After Nico died- there wasn't something right about that hellhound. It was deranged beyond normalcy. Dad blames himself, he thinks it was his fault the hellhound got out and killed Nico." Her voice warbled and she swallowed hard.

"So, where can we get into the Underworld then?!" I asked impatiently, believing if we stayed on this topic any longer I would have done something stupid like cry.

"Uh, there's a new one in Texas I think." Hazel said.

"How do we get there?" Will asked. "We don't have a Festus or a boat or-"

"I could shadow-travel. I'm not as good at it as Nico was but I can get us to Indianapolis in one or two gos." Hazel offered.

Will nodded. "Perfect, I have the ambrosia and nectar in case you take after your brother."

"Uh, yeah, so, um, let's go?" My voice went up at the end of the statement. Shadow-travel didn't agree with me so much.

Hazel grabbed mine and Will's hand as we stepped into the shadows and basically dissolved into a skin-ripping roller coaster ride.

When we arrived in an old, run down town, I took one look at Will and grabbed his medical bag, fishing for ambrosia. His son of Apollo aura was dimming rapidly and his normally tanned skin looked ashen.

When I shoved the godly food at him, he waved it off, mumbling, "I'm fine, I'm fine…"

"No you're not." Hazel leaned up to trickle some nectar into his mouth. "It must have been the shadow travel. 

"Crap, crap, crap…" I fumbled in the bag for anything that could help. He looked unnaturally pallor and could barely stand. Even his blue eyes looked a little less bright.

"Gods, it was the shadow-travel, too much exposure to darkness must've been too strong for his sunshine aura." Hazel grabbed the bag from me and pulled out a flask of nectar and a Ziploc bag of slightly crushed ambrosia.

"Eat it, Solace." I shoved a large chunk of the cookie-like food at him. He didn't argue. Hazel tipped some nectar into his mouth.

"This isn't Texas." I said worriedly as Hazel helped Will up. He took a shaky step and promptly collapsed again.

"You're gods-damned right this isn't Texas." a voice growled from behind me.

I cursed in Ancient Greek and english alike as I whirled around to face a pack of empousai, blemmyae, and a few werewolves.

I readied Reaper and charged into battle, shouting behind me, "Stay with Will!"

An empousai threw itself at me, trying to be… seductive? Well, it was failing miserably since it looked like it was having a drug-induced seizure. I lopped its head off and it disintegrated.

Something jumped on my back and I somersaulted so that it was catapulted into the air. I threw Reaper like a javelin and blemmyae and sword collided in midair. The spirits contained in the smoky glass swirled and darkened considerably.

Hazel shouted, "London, behind you!"

I whipped around and realized I was face-to-face with a werewolf. Since I was currently swordless, I did the next best thing. I decked it in the face Hermione Granger style. Then, I kneed it in the groin, pulled a Celestial bronze knife out of my sneaker, and stabbed it in the chest while it was doubled over in pain. Then I quickly retrieved my sword to spar with an empousai.

Sweat was pouring down my face and I knew I couldn't last much longer. My stamina was quickly draining and when it reached zero, we were royally screwed. I heard scuffling noises behind me, and I knew it was another empousai attempting a sneak attack. I let it think its idea would work, and at the last second, when I heard a slicing noise behind me, I jumped into the air.

A large, gold sword went straight into the chest of the other empousai. I landed behind the one that had snuck up behind me and drove Reaper into its back. The I picked up the sword it had thrown and decided that now would be a pretty good time to learn double sword fighting.

There was an ear splitting scream behind me and by the time I turned around, Hazel was on her knees, an Imperial Gold dagger embedded in her thigh and a blemmyae scampering away from the scene.

Will had seemed mostly recovered, though he still looked slightly ashen-faced. He was cursing as he searched the fanny pack for nectar and bandages.

"Take my gun!" he shouted, when he noticed me watching him. "You just have to aim and pull the trigger, it's already loaded! It's better for instant kills, trust me!"

He threw it at me and I slung Reaper over my back, tossed down the empousai's sword, and caught the shotgun. I quickly shot down the blemmyae that had stabbed Hazel, and took down a few empousai and the rest of the blemmyae. Honestly, the latter weren't really that bright.

There was just the werewolves left, and they seemed to be multiplying rapidly. I let out a string of swears that made Will's face turn bright red when I realized the gun was out of shells.

I kicked it in Will's direction and skirted around my friends, attempting to lead the pack away. I withdrew my sword and readied myself to start fighting. A heavy figure flew on me from behind and I fell to the ground, barely avoiding falling on my sword.

Stale, musty breath was clogging up my nostrils, and sharp nails dug into my shoulder blades. I let out a cry of pain as they ran down my back, blood trickling down my skin.

"London!" Will shouted, evidently in a panic.

"Go!" I grunted, and the cruel irony of the situation made me want to cry. Wasn't there once a time when a figure clad in black was fighting a deadly creature and shouted for their loved one to go?

"Get out of here! Get to the entrance, you can make it in another shadow-jump!" I yelped as the claws scraped my bone.

"Ah, yes… London Maxwell, the daughter of Ares." A voice resonated from above me.

"Fucker, at least get your victims' heritage right!" I growled. "It's daughter of Aphrodite!"

"Alright, daughter of Aphrodite." The voice snickered. "In a few moments' time, your sad heritage will not matter. At least you can tell those in the Underworld that you had the honour of dying by the hands of Lycaon, the first werewolf!"

"The first werewolf?" I acted confused. "Never heard of him." 

I took advantage of his temporary indignance and confusion to flip our positions. I kicked him in the face at the same time that he tried lunging at me. He flew backwards into a brick building, but not before managing to scrape my arms.

Whatever poison he had inflicted, it was taking its toll. My breathing hitched and everything was beginning to sway. I panicked, knowing fully well if I blacked out this quest was done for. Hazel was injured, Will didn't do well during shadow travel, and I was on the brink of unconsciousness.

Lycaon charged me and I couldn't find the strength to move.

I felt helpless as I was pinned to the ground, his nails scrabbling at me chest. All of a sudden, there was a shrill whistle that split the air in two. Lycaon doubled over, clutching his ears, and I looked over to Will, who made a stabbing gesture.

"Goodbye, dog." I hissed as I dug my blade into his chest. But I had forgotten the other werewolves, who were quickly recovering and advancing.

This is it, I thought. Under the first hour of my quest, I doomed us all. I could barely stand, but I hefted my sword and sent a silent prayer up to my mother, wherever she was.

Something sleek whistled past my ear and struck a werewolf square in the stomach. It whimpered, staggered, and disintegrated, leaving a silver arrow on the ground.

Hundreds more arrows shot past me, finding their marks and destroying the mutts. I took the opportunity to run to my friends in order to shield them from the ammunition. A woman with gray streaked hair and a bow and arrow appeared and held her hand out to me.

"You must come!" she said urgently. "We can't hold them forever!"

"Okay, number one, I'm not leaving Hazel and Will. Number two, who the actual _fuck_ are you?"

"There is no time!" she said impatiently. "I will tell you everything, you must come now!"

"I'm not leaving my battlestation!" I swayed on the spot, and Reaper slipped from my grip and clattered from my hand. I straightened up just in time to see a werewolf launching itself at the old woman.

Before I could yell a warning, I heard a movement behind me and Will was on his feet, a few steps away from the now unconscious Hazel Levesque, my sword in his hand, and he had his doctor's look on.

What are you _doing?_ , I wanted to yell, but in a millisecond there was the flash of metal and he had swiped the wolf in a few different spots. It yelped, then exploded in dust.

"How did you-" I started, but Will cut me off.

"Sliced the necessary tendons. It gives a quick but nevertheless painful death." He nodded at the pile of dust. Then he took a good look at me. "Okay, get over here and let me patch you- whoa!" 

I wasn't listening. I toppled over before he finished his sentence and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Hazel groaned and shifted. I wanted to do the same. Instead, I clutched my arm and put on my resting bitch face as the arrows died down.

A girl about twelve years old came to me. "You must come with us."

"Okay, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Bow-and-Arrows here." I intensified my resting bitch face. "I'm not leaving my friends and who the FUCK are you to tell me what to do?"

A few of the girls surrounding her gasped and one stepped forward. She had black hair and was wearing a leather jacket. The shadows hid her face from my line of sight.

"You should listen to her." the girl said, malice lacing her tone.

"If you will not come willingly, we will have to take you forcefully. Hunters, bring them." The girl jerked her head towards us and the girls with silver coats stepped forward.

If these girls who were I thought they were, then they were bad news.

In the blink of an eye, I grabbed my flask of nectar from Will and chugged a fourth of it, corked it, got up, and performed the second Hermione Granger face decking I had done that day.

The girl grunted and staggered backwards, and the girls all stepped forward and nocked their arrows.

"Go on, bitches, I can take you." I flipped my hair and picked up Reaper.

The girl I had punched looked up, dabbing at her nose, but her eyes were sparkling with amusement. When she took her cloth away from her face, I was more than a little shocked to see ichor streaming down her face.

"Hunters, stand down." The girl said to the others. They stepped back, still glaring at me.

The auburn haired one turned to me again and smiled, her eyes twinkling agelessly, and said, "To answer your previous question, London Maxwell, I am Artemis, goddess of the Hunt."

 **I AM AWFUL. THIS CHAPTER WAS A SLIGHTLY BIGGER FLAMING PILE OF SHIT THAN OCTAVIAN.**

 **I'm so sorry, I don't want to give excuses for updating less frequently, but I've been super busy and I'm going to study for a test tomorrow right after this. Sorry again for not updating in so long.**

 **Happy reading, all!**

 **P.S. I read this awesome fanfic called** _ **How To Interrupt A Monologue: Nico di Angelo Style**_ **and it is priceless. Pure gold, I should say. Go check it out. It's amazhang!**

 **I'm gonna leave now...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay before you guys start this chapter I want to say a couple of things.**

 **ONE: I'm updating** _ **Little Soldier**_ **until I reach ten chapters because I want the amount of chapters between my two stories to be consistent (it's only two chapters, think of it as a double chapter update). TWO: I'm thinking about adding on to** _ **The Soulmate Mark**_ **with Percabeth, Caleo, Frazel, and Jasper. What do you think? Should I? THREE: I changed up the last part of the prophecy back a few chapters, just so you know. They're song lyrics, so see if you can guess them! THREE: How the HADES did I get 1,056 views on this? Seriously! Like, how are you guys all finding this? What do you search for?**

 **ANyway, thanks so much to everyone who read this, I appreciate the reviews and the views and everyone who thinks this story is awesome. As a celebration for hitting 1K views, I will shout out/PM everyone who reviews by the end of the next chapter.**

 **You guys really are amazhang. Now, onto the story!**

A wave of sudden nausea and exhaustions hit me like a brick and the pain sent me doubling over onto my knees. I heard Will swear and hit the floor beside me, pulling out needles and medical stabilizers.

"Ha! You see, Lady Artemis? Your very name brings the half-blood down to her knees, begging for forgiveness!" one Hunter boasted triumphantly.

I looked up through a haze of dizziness, my wounds burning like hell. "Actually, no."

The Hunter blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, I've just been attacked by the first werewolf and am currently suffering whatever poison he inflicted upon me. But yes, of _course_ I come to my knees for a goddess, not because I'm about to, oh, I don't know- die of _PAIN_?" I hissed the last part as Will dabbed antiseptic on the wounds.

"Oh gods- this is my fault…" I heard him mutter as me measures a length of bandages.

"Okay, number one, how is it your fault and two, wouldn't it be better to just do your magicky healing thing?" I waved my hand vaguely.

"I can't risk the 'magicky healing thing' right now! Your condition is too unstable! And it's my fault because _I_ couldn't handle the shadow-travel. I mean, if Hazel wasn't busy attending to me, she wouldn't have gotten stabbed and both of us could have helped you." he explained irritably.

Artemis sighed and smiled a little, the ichor flow now staunched. "I see you are much unlike your father, Will Solace."

Will glanced up. "I don't know what to say to that."

"Apollo is irresponsible… to say the least. He often pins the blame on others and prefers to live stress-free, chasing his lovers and writing his haikus." the goddess said.

"Tell me about it…" Will grumbled, and with a suppressed snort I remembered when Apollo came to Camp and made all his children listen to tales of his glory and lovers and various poetry.

"But that is not the point." Artemis suddenly shook her head, her auburn braid flailing wildly. "Your young friend- if she does not get help, she will die." Will opened his mouth as if to protest, but she cut him off. "You are perhaps the most powerful healer of your age, Will Solace, but even your healing cannot save this girl."

Will actually stood up and stamped his foot in frustration. "I am _not_ losing her! I promised him I wouldn't let anything happen to her!" Stripes of yellow were rising behind him, tangled like they would choke someone. I blinked and they were gone.

Who was him? I pushed thought thoughts aside and instead croaked, "Will- what about Hazel?"

He waved me off. "She'll be fine. I've stabilized her and by the time she wakes up she'll be good to go, for the most part. It's you I've got to worry about." he added grimly.

"You must come with us." The old woman urged. "This is no trap, I swear it on the River Styx. We will take you to a sanctuary, a safe haven of sorts. There we could save your friends."

Will blew some air out through his mouth. "You can help them?"

The woman and Artemis nodded.

My heartbeat was way too fast for someone in my condition. Was it going to burst? My skull was pounding like someone was hitting it with a hammer. I didn't think I could move… was everything so dark before? There were extra shadows everywhere, bouncing off the walls and playing games with the night…

"Hey!" Will's voice snapped me out of my stupor. "Don't you _dare_ close your eyes, Maxwell, don't you fucking _dare._ "

He looked up at the goddess helplessly. "How can we move them?"

Artemis snapped her fingers and all of us were suddenly in front of a huge station.

I heard words in and out of focus. I picked up, "... Waystation… infirmary… gladius blade… antidote… werewolf scratches?"

Scenes were replaying themselves in my head, they weren't familiar but they seemed so _right_ … gods, everything was throbbing and spinning and hurting so bad.

 _There was the beautifully indistinct face of a woman, kissing the forehead of a girl maybe a year old. It was such an ordinary kiss, so normal, but you could tell she was kissing the girl one last time._

 _The woman smiled down sadly at the confused face. "You have the potential for such power… power to raze, power to destroy- perhaps the power to save, to preserve… Whatever happens, I will always be there for you."_

 _Suddenly I was snapped into the girl's mind, aware of a whirlwind of thoughts._

 _The smell of perfume was intoxicating and dizzying and it overwhelmed my senses. If she would always be there for me, why was she leaving? Where was I? Who was she leaving me with? I didn't even know who she was, but I did know that I didn't want to be left. I stretched my hand out, reaching for her, but she was gone._

 _I became aware I was standing on a doorstep, and I heard creaking footsteps. I felt frozen in place as the door opened, revealing a tall girl and a punk rock woman._

" _My god…" the girl breathed, reaching out for me._

 _Like I had reached out to the woman who had left, she was reaching for me. You only reached for people you wanted to stay, right? If that was the case, I shouldn't go like the other woman did. This girl was reaching so she wanted me to stay. Maybe I would._

 _She laid a tentative hand on my hair. Her skin was soft to the touch and warm, oh, so warm, such a contrast to the chilly winds._

" _Come here." the punk woman said softly. I hesitated, then took a step forward._

" _Where do you think she came from?" the girl asked the woman. "Why would anyone leave a little girl…?"_

 _The woman sighed deeply, worry lines creasing her face. "Whatever the reason, Hannah, she doesn't have anywhere to go. Look how scared she is."_

 _I wasn't scared, I wanted to say. I was confused, sure, worried, maybe, tense, definitely. But scared? I did not know that I ever knew what that word meant in my life._

" _Best bring her inside, Keith." the girl sighed after a moment. "By God, if anyone could leave a small child out here, they must be truly heartless…"_

 _The woman nodded and held her arms out to me. I thought it over briefly and decided I had nothing to lose. I stepped into them and she scooped me up. Her leather jacket was cool and slick against my skin._

" _Hannah, be logical." The woman said as she carried me inside. That got me worried. Was this the part where they left like the woman? I stirred uneasily at the thought._

 _She continued. "We can't just… keep her. We're not even fit to raise ourselves, damn it! How can we take care of a small child that needs more than we could ever need?" She sat down on a sofa and rubbed her temples. "We don't even have a plan." Keith admitted softly._

 _The girl- no,_ Hannah- _smiled sadly and touched Keith's hand. "Mom and Dad always used to say that everything would be okay in the end. That even if it wasn't okay, it wasn't the end."_

 _Keith examined her and idly stroked my hair. "You're right, sis." she said finally._

 _Hannah snorted. "Aren't I always?"_

 _Keith ignored her. Instead she stared down into my face and booped my nose. "I guess we should tell you who we are then, hm?"_

 _As if I didn't already know!_

" _I'm Maxwell, Hannah Maxwell." her sister interjected._

" _Shut up, James Bond. I'm Keith Maxwell, by the way. And I guess… I guess you're one of us now."_

Someone was calling my name. It wasn't Hannah or Keith or anyone from my flashback. It was Will, I realized with a shock as he peered intently into my face, a bloody gash open under one eye.

"FUCK!" I yelped and accidentally slapped him.

He swore and shook his head. "Not how I was expecting to be greeted whenever you woke up." he admitted gruffly.

"Sorry. You surprised me. How long have we been here?" I looked around the complex infirmary. "And… what happened to you?"

"A few days." he shrugged. "The Hunters are to thank for our rescue, if you don't remember. You passed out just as we got here, to the Waystation. Hazel is alright, in case you're wondering. She has a slight limp but she should be fine." He gingerly touched his cheekbone. "And I was on guard with a few Hunters- for some bizarre reason, Artemis doesn't hate me with every fiber of her immortal being. I kept my distance from the Hunters, but got wounded when some blemmyae caught me off my guard."

He gestured to the cut under his eye.

I sighed and ran a hand through my short, tangled hair. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be-"

He was cut off by a loud slicing noise and trampling footsteps, the sound of weapons being drawn piercing the air like a gunshot.

"My Amazons will not aid your Hunters in battle anymore if this is the respect and thanks we receive in turn!" a voice yelled. "I have lost _far_ too many of my Amazons, _far_ too many warriors, _far_ too much family…" The voice choked up as if the person was going to cry.

"You don't think that I know that?" A voice I recognized as Artemis' replied in exasperation. "I have suffered the loss of so many daughters, and had they not been cut down in the battle with Orion they might still be with me!" It sounded angry and sad all at once.

"I _refuse_ to sacrifice my Amazons!"

"I will _not_ lose any more Hunters!"

I stared at Will for a moment, the scanned the room for my sword. I spotted it under the cot and slid off it.

"London-"

I put up a hand and stepped out of the infirmary. I was wearing a new shirt and the same pair of jeans, which, thankfully, were not so messed up.

I realized I had no idea how to navigate the Waystation as more screams echoed through the old building. I decided to follow the screams.

"You lose sight of why we joined forces in the first place, Hylla Twice-Kill!" Artemis shouted. "To kill Orion, and we succeeded!"

"My _sister_ succeeded! And she nearly died in the process!" Hylla screamed. "Nor your Hunters or my Amazons managed to kill him! I'm not giving any more forces to senseless manslaughter!"

I turned a corner as the voices got louder. And louder. And then I found myself in a dining hall of sorts. I recognized Hazel's frame and went up behind her as a woman who looked like Reyna and Artemis continued spewing forth arguments.

"London! You're okay!" Hazel said with great relief.

"Aren't I always?" I tried for a smile even though everything still ached.

She sighed and whispered, "Hylla- that's Reyna's sister- and Artemis are fighting."

"Yeah, no duh." I whispered back. "Why?"

Hazel exhaled deeply. "Some stuff with our quest. They want to aid us but it's really dangerous… I tried intervening but one of the Amazons held me back. Artemis wants Hylla to send a lot of Amazons to make up for the Hunters because the Hunters have their own quest and, well-" She gestured loosely. "It all spiralled into this."

"Well, when can we leave?" I asked impatiently. "We've got to get going to Texas."

At this point, the old woman noticed me and approached Artemis. "Lady Artemis, she has woken."

Both Artemis and Hylla stopped arguing and turned their gazes to me. My face flushed a little and I shifted Reaper from hand to hand, trying not to look like I was intimidated.

"London Maxwell, daughter of Aphrodite." Artemis nodded. "You wake."

"Well, duh!" I mumbled under my breath. On a raised eyebrow from the goddess, I straightened up as much as I could and exclaimed cheerfully, "Back and better than ever!"

They were silent for a moment and exchanged funny glances. Then Artemis stepped forward.

"Tell me, London Maxwell, how good are you with a bow?"

"I'm a decent shot." I shrugged.

Artemis nodded thoughtfully and conjured up a bow and arrow. She nocked an arrow and aimed it at the door frame. The arrow buried itself in the top of the frame, smack in the middle.

Artemis handed the equipment to me. "Try and out-shoot that arrow, demigod."

I hid a smirk and nocked the arrow. I drew back, aimed, exhaled slowly, and let the arrow fly. It sliced clean through Artemis' arrow, splitting it right down the center. Splinters of wood broke off of the goddess's arrow and swayed momentarily before falling.

I handed the weapons back to her and tried to ignore the burning in my muscles.

I failed miserably, let me tell you. I collapsed in a chair as Will tentatively peeked his head inside the door.

"May I- erm, come in?" He gestured awkwardly.

Artemis had a small smile on her face. "Yes, half-blood. Enter."

"So, uh, I need to give her a check-up just to make sure she's okay so can I borrow her?"

Artemis nodded and Will glanced at me meaningfully and I rose out of my chair. He led the way to the infirmary, asking me questions about my health.

"Any pain? Chronic? Cardio? Muscular? Is your throat burning? How are those wounds healing up? Any internal throbbing? Your ribs and back got the brunt of the damage, is anything broken? Are you bleeding? How's y-"

"Will. Shut up. I'm fine." I sat down on one of the infirmary cots tiredly.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"So you'll be alright if I do this?" He grabbed my arm with the force of a butterfly's touch and I hissed.

I wrenched my arm out of his grip and glared. He shrugged nonchalantly and rested his hand on my wrist, singing a quick healing hymn. I felt as if nectar were being poured in my veins; both on fire and relieved.

"When can we leave?" I asked.

"Why?" Will furrowed his brow.

"The Hunters and the Amazons… they're giving me a weird vibe." I quickly fibbed. I couldn't tell Will that I didn't want to stay here because they'd insist on making me sleep- and I didn't want to have to let anyone witness the pain that came with sleep.

"My aunt and her hunters are the least of my worries." Will shook his head. "This place is surrounded by enemy monsters. It's not safe to leave yet. I'm sorry."

A sinking feeling erupted in my stomach. "Will, are you sure?"

He nods as he holds out a small square of ambrosia about ½ inch to me. I shake my head and he sighs.

"Listen, I need to put antiseptic on your wounds. The ones on your back and chest are healed for the most part but the ones on your arms are pretty bad. I need to treat them." He scratched his head and picks up a bottle of the liquid.

I scramble back a few feet and hold out Reaper. "Back away."

"London-"

"Away!"

"Good gods, you really _do_ take after him…" Will grumbles, then gets a cloth and dabbles some antiseptic onto it. "Now, this'll sting a little, but-"

"Nope!" I yelp and run out of the infirmary, the sword like a weight in my swinging hand.

"London freaking Maxwell, you will have those scratches treated!" he yells after me.

"I will not!"

I slam into something and stumble backwards, looking up. "Hazel?"

"Hi. It's lunchtime." A smile plays on her features as she glances over my shoulder. "Oh, I see…"

Will comes jogging up, panting. He still has the antiseptic. Fuck.

"She needs to have those wounds treated."

He locks eyes with Hazel and they come to a silent understanding. I realize this too late as she quickly disarms me and pins me to the wall. Will moistens the cloth again and swipes it over the scratches on my arms.

I hiss and swear loudly at the stinging. I glare at Hazel and she shrugs.

Will finishes up and Hazel lets go of my arms. I grab my sword off the floor as I stomp off to the dining hall, huffing.

I take an empty seat next to the Hunter in the leather jacket and look at the plate in front of me. I wonder if I should eat. It does look delicious, actually. Bread, red cheese, milk, fresh fruit and salad, and what looks like homemade jam. I try to ignore the pang in my stomach as Will and Hazel walk in, triumphancy radiating off the former.

The girl next to me elbows my ribs and I gasp. "You can eat, you know." Her eyes are obscured from view but there is a smile playing on her ribs.

I raise an eyebrow and elbow her back just as hard. "It's not polite to eat without being invited to." I smile back angelically while she wheezes.

When she's done, she grins at me. "You're as much a spunk as Annabeth! What's your name?"

"London Maxwell, daughter of Aphrodite. _Y tu?_ "

"Thalia, daughter of Zeus."

"Thalia? As in, Grace?" She bristles but nods stiffly. "I'll have you know, Jason _never_ stops talking about you. Like, _ever._ "

She nods. "I wouldn't expect anything less from that huge dork." Her voice is supposed to be scorning, but an idiot could hear the love in her voice for him.

I hesitate, then grab a slice of bread and spread some jam on it. It is not completely cool and warms my insides when I swallow.

"So, daughter of Aphrodite. I don't judge people by our first interactions. I judge by the second. Go on, Maxwell. Do your thing." She leaned back in her chair. "Dazzle me."

Maxwell? Has a nice ring to it, actually. I mulled over what to say as one of the Hunters smirked.

"Is the princess too prissy to face the lieutenant?" I recognized her as the girl who had said I was bowing to Artemis.

I raised an eyebrow and drew my sword, flipping my hair back out of my eyes. "I've no interest in being the princess. I'm the motherfucking _queen._ "

" _That_." Thalia said, nodding with approval. "Is a good second impression. And Hannah, lay off the girl, for the love of the gods."

The old woman came into the room with another woman and a girl.

"No weapons on the table!" the hunter who had the bow and arrows called, probably to me. Then she took a seat at the table and pulled a paper out of her pocket.

"Alright, chore assignment time… let's see…" She pored over her list and the girl who came in with them took a seat next to me.

"Hi." she whispered.

I inclined my head in her direction.

"I'm Georgina, Georgie for short. Who're you?"

I turned to face the girl. She looked maybe thirteen or fourteen and very tall. She was wearing coveralls with her name printed on a nametag and had brown hair and glassy brown eyes.

"Call me Maxwell." Well. That was new. "Well, uh, my full name's London Maxwell, but I sort of like the sound of Maxwell so-"

"Cool. I'm Georgie, you're Maxwell. Really-" she shrugged. "It's all the same."

I didn't want to answer so I decided an ample excuse would be to eat more bread. Not like I needed an excuse to do that. Seriously, it was delicious.

'Georgie,' however, kept trying to talk to me. "Is it true you're here on a quest?"

I nodded slightly. No need to give too much information.

"Ooh, what do you have to do? I've always wanted to go on a quest, but my moms say it's super dangerous. Is it really?"

I sighed. "Georgie, is it?" She bobbed her head up and down, hair flying. "Well, Georgie, I managed to get attacked by the first werewolf, a pack of empousai, blemmyae, let both of my friends get seriously injured, and nearly die during the first hour of my quest. Dangerous? Yeah. You could say that."

"Oh." was all she said.

I turned away from her to watch Hylla and Artemis at the head of the table. They keep glaring at each other. The Amazons and Hunters were doing the same.

"Alright, let's see…" The old woman suddenly looks up from her list. "The Hunters will be cleaning Abelard and the chick's nest-" The Hunters grumbled collectively, and the old woman just waited until they were done. Then she continued.

"The Amazons will clean out the cow pens" The Amazons cursed under their breath and again, the old woman waited.

"Georgie, you're cleaning the bedrooms. Hazel Levesque, is that right? Well, you have bathroom duty. Will Solace, mass dishes. And London Maxwell-" She paused to look at me. "Taking out the trash."

Several people winced. I didn't understand why. I've taken out the trash before, and it wasn't hard.

"Yikes, you got the worst of it." Georgie whispered, cringing.

"Why? Taking out the trash isn't hard." I shrugged and took a sip of milk.

"No, you don't get it. You take out the trash, right? The Amazons are cleaning the cow pens, the Hunters are cleaning the griffins' nest, I'm cleaning the bedrooms, and Hazel the bathroom. Any garbage we find goes in the trash. And who takes out the trash?"

My eyes widened as I realized what she was implying. "You don't mean…"

"Yeah, I do mean. You have to take out the griffins' and the cows' dirty straw, manure, the bathroom trash, and the bedroom trash. You're in for it." I internally groaned.

A burst of orange that felt sympathetic flickered behind her. I shook my head, and it was gone. The same thing had happened with Will, but I was delirious then. It was probably just the antiseptic, I told myself. Yes, just the antiseptic.

As Will collected the dishes, Thalia leaned back in her chair. "You're gonna be up all night taking out the trash, Maxwell."

Up all night? I straightened up. Suddenly my chore didn't seem so bad.

"Shoot." I grumbled, hiding a smile. She glanced at me quizzically, and I quickly changed the subject. "Are those tattoos?"

Thalia's eyes flitted down to her shoulder before she shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. A lot of us Hunters have 'em. You don't have to care about people judging you for your ink when you're a Hunter."

"You really like being a Hunter, don't you?"

"Yeah. It's pretty sweet." Thalia nodded. Then her eyes lit up and a mischievous smile crept over her face. "I've got the craziest fucking idea."

"I'll probably agree because I'm nuts, then." I rolled my eyes and picked at a hangnail.

"How'd you feel about some ink, Maxwell?"

"Hey, Thals, isn't twelve years old a bit too young to be marked?" The Hunter called Hannah smirked. "She probably couldn't handle it." She looked at me. "How much could you take before you started screaming from the pain?"

My line of sight became smaller as my eyes narrowed. "Tomorrow, two 'o'clock, here. Don't be late."

With that I leapt out of my chair and it toppled over. I picked it up and shoved it back in, then stalked out of the room. Seriously, why the hell does Hannah have it in for me?

Approaching footsteps, and then Georgie appeared beside me. "Did you seriously just agree to get a tattoo?"

A bubble in my chest started expanding as I realized what I had just agreed to.

"Oh my fucking gods… I just agreed to a tattoo… I just agreed to a _tattoo…_ "

"Uh, yeah. You did." Georgie snorted. "But the real question is, what are you going to get?"

"What do you mean, what am I going to get?" I began to panic. "I can't get a tattoo!"

"Wait… you're backing out?" The smile slid off Georgie's face as I stared miserably at the floor. "Maxwell, are you telling me that you're going to march back in there and tell Thalia you can't do this? You're going to give in to Hannah and her crap? Look, she hates you. I don't know why, but she does."

"Such a surprise, really. I'm such a likeable person." I muttered.

Georgie rolled her eyes. "Listen, do you have the impending urge to break her nose?"

"Yeah, actually."

"So do it to piss the schist out of her."

I stared at Georgie. "That is oddly inspirational."

"Thank you. I B.S.'d it to the max."

I scoffed and shook my head.

"Hey, after I'm done cleaning the rooms, can I come help you take out the trash? It might help you get done faster and you're probably really tired. You don't have to accept, but- you know…" She gestured vaguely.

It occurred to me she was trying to be subtle about hanging out with me and the thought warmed my frozen heart. How is it that this fourteen year old is more pure and innocent than me?

"Yeah, sure. I'd appreciate it."

Her smile practically lit up the hallway. "Great! See you then. I should start with the guest room the Hunters are staying in. Oh, wait- there it is. Bye!" She sprinted off towards a room a couple of feet away.

I shook my head and smiled in spite of myself.

" _London Maxwell_!"

I whirl around to face Will. "Fuck." I curse under my breath.

"Did you just agree to get a tattoo?"

"Uhm- oh, do you hear that? Georgie's calling me so I can collect the trash, and would you look at the time! The Hunters are probably done at the nest by now! Gotta go! Bye!"

I spun on my heel and ran in the opposite direction.

" _LONDON_!"

The next day, at exactly two o'clock, Georgie and I met Thalia in the dining hall. There were a several other Hunters there, including Hannah. She was smirking.

Well, I thought. Let's see who's smirking by the time we're done. Georgie squeezed my shoulder. She insisted upon coming along for moral support.

"Hey, London! You made it!" Thalia clapped me on the back and ushered me over to a three-legged stool.

"So this is the twelve year old that's getting a tat? Wicked." One of the Hunters snapped her gum and finger gunned.

"I'm surprised she hasn't backed out by now." Hannah whispered obnoxiously.

I just sighed and rubbed my temples, but Georgie snapped, "I'm surprised she hasn't snapped your neck by now."

Hannah looked taken aback and Georgie triumphant. "Go on, Maxwell! You got this!" she whispered to me, giving me a gentle push.

One Hunter with a tattoo gun came up to me. "Hey, Maxwell. I'm Dani, let's get this show on the road. You know what you want for your tattoo?"

"Actually, yeah." I leaned up and whispered it in her ear. She looked surprised but nodded.

"Alright, this is gonna hurt. You ready?"

I clenched my teeth and nodded. I felt the gun pierce the skin on my arm and fought the urge to hiss. _I could do this… I could do this…_

 _******A FEW HOURS LATER*****_

"And… done!" Dani wiped the sweat off her forehead and set the gun down. My skin was raw, red, and aching but it was worth it. The skin on my collarbone was completely bandaged. But the look on Hannah's face was worth it.

"I'll have you know Hannah screamed so loud Lady Artemis thought one of us got stabbed when she got her first tattoo." Thalia snickered. "You did good, Maxwell."

I nodded, enjoying the angry flush creeping up Hannah's neck.

"Well…" she sputtered. "You got a lot of ink for a twelve year old. Those are pretty permanent."

"Yeah, well, so are you. But good news! Both you and tattoos can be removed with a laser. So, problem solved!" Dani clapped once.

I smirked as I grabbed Georgie's hand and walked out of the room.

"If you feel up to it, we can get you a few piercings in a week or so!" Dani called after me. I gave her the thumbs up over my shoulder.

I felt accomplished. Sure, everything hurt like fuck, but it was a good ache.

What had I gotten a tattoo of? A small pair of angel's wings and every symbol of Aphrodite there was littered across my collarbone. It was very minimalist, but for some reason, it felt _right.i_

 _ **ANYWAY…**_

 **im not even gonna make excuses. I SUCK AS A WRITeR OKAY? GAH I'M TIRED AND I CAN'T FAIL SCHOOOL SO I'M WORKING AND WORKING AND MANAGED TO PUMP OUT THIS PIECE OF CRAP.**

 ***deep breath* Anyway, if you go check out my good friend DelightedCatNerd's profile you'll see the story** _ **For All That You've Given**_ **and just please read it because it's effing amazing and I love it so much it gave me serious feels if you're up to it also check out** _ **Colourless**_ **hands down one of the best Thalia fics everrrrrr**

 **Happy reading all!**


	10. Chapter 10

The Hunters truly fascinate me. Like, they act like badass queens but they're dorks. I mean, they are slaying and all, but seriously. I had to assist in giving Thalia the Heimlich maneuver when she nearly choked on thirty-six marshmallows because she wouldn't back down from the Chubby Bunny challenge against Dani.

But aside from that, they don't seem all bad. Neither do the Amazons. They're actually pretty cool.

The Hunters helped me perfect my archery because apparently I hold my bow wrong. The Amazons give me sword fighting lessons, the first I've had since Nico died. And they're friends with each other. It's a life I could get used to.

Or, at least I thought I could.

"Hey, Maxwell!" Thalia called. "Heard you're leaving tomorrow!"

I pursed my lips. "Yeah. Sucks, right?"

"For you." Thalia laughed. "You've been here, like, three days and barely got an hour's worth of sleep."

I snorted. "Sleep is for the week, Grace."

"You only lose sleep because you stay up listening to music. You look awful." she retorted.

I winced. I didn't want to remember what happened last night with Hazel and Will. Remember was such a strange word. To recall memories of the past, to relive what had once happened… who would wish to do that?

I rubbed my eyes and half expected them to come away smudged with blood and cinders. My eyes were red and underneath them ashes took the place of bags, so thick and dark you would have thought I smeared the coarse powder on them.

Thalia noticed my expression and winced as well. "Sorry. Have you cleared things up with your friends yet?"

"No." I spat. "And why should I?"

Thalis sighed. "Because they're your _friends._ I mean, I'm all for some first class stubbornness, but this can't go on, Maxwell. They're all you have now."

"Not you too, Thalia." I muttered, kicking at the floor. "Not you too."

She didn't seem to know what to say. Then she said hoarsely, "Oh, I almost forgot." She cleared her throat. "London Maxwell. Come with me. Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee." Then she smiled kind of sadly like she understood an inside joke and led me to the Hunters' room.

Artemis was sitting cross legged on the floor, whittling something. Sharp splinters of wood were flying everywhere. I deflected one with the back of my hand before it impaled my eye and sat across from Thalia, who had taken a seat on Artemis' right.

"London Maxwell. I take it you're wondering why I've asked you here?" Artemis asked, setting down what looked like a bow.

"Please, enlighten me." I picked a splinter out of my hand.

"You are a formidable soldier, and in your time here your skills have been honed greatly. It would be a great benefit to you if you were to consider joining the Hunt."

I blinked. "What?"

Thalia sighed. "The Hunt, Maxwell. Become a Hunter of Artemis. Lady Artemis likes to keep tabs on all possible future Hunters, and you've been one of those people since you were a kid! I'd say think about it, at least. It really is worth it."

I hesitated. "I really don't know. What's the catch? I mean, there's gotta be a catch. Either that or, no offense, being a Hunter isn't all that."

"I think you know the immortality thing, until you fall in battle, at least. But that really rarely happens." Thalia explained. "Once you commit to the oath, you are immediately stronger, faster, and more accurate than your average demigod, nymph, or mortal. Most of us carry collapsible tents about the size of a pack of gum. They expand into a full sized silver tent. You also get silver bows, arrows, and two hunting knives, which appear whenever you need them. You could keep your sword, though, if you wanted to." She glanced at the weapon hanging from my belt.

I chewed the inside of my cheek. Did I want to do this? I was only twelve, after all.

"Don't the Hunters have to forswear romantic love?" I asked.

"Well, yes." Artemis admitted. "In some special cases, as in with Emmie and Jo, you can depart from the Hunters with your honour if you have served your oath well."

"Aren't I too young to be a Hunter?"

"Twelve or thirteen is the average age of all my Hunters. And you are quite skilled with your weapons." Artemis nocked an arrow in her freshly whittled bow and took aim.

"Personally, I don't know any Hunters who hate being Hunters. When I was first offered the oath, I didn't take it because of… well, Luke." Her voice wavered momentarily, but then she coughed and continued. "And look where that got me. Honestly? I don't regret for one moment becoming a Hunter."

"So, London Maxwell. What will it be?" Artemis looked at the arrow embedded in the wall with satisfaction.

"I really don't know. I'm still a kid. What if I want to grow up and start a family? Or maybe get a girlfriend or a boyfriend in a few years?" Honestly, I was just making excuses at this point. Any reason not to tempt me to leave my friends, as angry with them as I was. I was afraid I'd take the offer and leave everything behind.

"You need not worry about that, daughter of Aphrodite. You are what they call… er, what is it again? Thalia?" She gestured loosely.

"I'ma give it to you straight, Maxwell. You're aro and ace."

"I'm _what_ now?" I choked. "Aro _and_ ace?"

"Pretty much. No getting it on or falling in love, basically." Thalia shrugged. "Think about it; have you ever been really attracted to boys or girls? Have you ever looked at someone and thought, _dam,_ they look _fine_?"

I thought it over. I remembered my conversation with Piper in the infirmary. _I'm not interested in boys. Or girls, for that matter,_ I had said. And slowly, very slowly, I shook my head.

"Well, now you know." Artemis stretched her arms. "And now your decision."

It was a seriously good offer. Maybe I would accept it… I would be immortal, basically superhuman! I exhaled deeply, ready to say the word.

Aphrodite's locket suddenly burned white hot on my chest and a flash of white light blinded me.

 _"Yeah," Percy was admitting defeatedly to a young boy. "I have to find Annabeth. I have to help, even if they don't want me to."_

 _"I won't tell on you," he said. "But you have to promise to keep my sister safe." He looked so familiar, that black hair and those big eyes._

 _"I… that's a big thing to promise, Nico, on a trip like this. Besides, she's got Zoe, Grover, and Thalia—" Nico? My gods, Nico… I had heard of Nico when he was younger. I just hadn't expected him to be so… different._

 _"Promise," he insisted._

 _"I'll do my best. I promise that." Was all Percy said._

 _"Get going, then!" he said. "Good luck!"_

 _The scene changed._

 _I was in a junkyard and a girl with long black hair, dressed in a silver coat and jeans and Percy Jackson were crouched behind a broken chariot. There was screaming and metallic clangs, and the aura of death hung about._

" _You took something. That bow." Percy was saying._

" _No!" she said, but her voice was quivering._

 _"Give it back!" Percy said. "Throw it down!"_

 _"I… I didn't take the bow! Besides, it's too late."_

" _What did you take?" Percy demanded, just as there was a massive creaking noise and a dark shadow fell._

 _Percy shouted, "MOVE!" and he and the girl ran for their lives. In the distance, someone shouted and a bolt of electricity jolted a huge metal robot._

 _"Come on!" Percy told the girl, but she stayed frozen. From her pocket, she brought out a small metal figurine._

 _"It… it was for Nico. It was the only statue he didn't have." The girl barely whispered. Nico? I thought bizarrely. How did she know him? Who was this girl?_

 _"How can you think of Mythomagic at a time like this?" Percy asked. There were tears in her eyes. "Throw it down," he suggested. "Maybe the giant will leave us alone."_

 _She dropped it reluctantly, but nothing happened. Percy stared off into the distance for a moment as more lightning flashed and the giant temporarily fell. "Crazy-idea time," he said._

 _The girl looked at him with desperation as he told her his plan about a maintenance hatch._

 _"There may be a way to control the thing. Switches or something. I'm going to get inside."_

 _"How? You'll have to stand under its foot! You'll be crushed!"_

 _"Distract it," Percy said with finality. "I'll just have to time it right."_

 _The girl clenched her jaw. "No. I'll go."_

 _"You can't. You're new at this! You'll die."_

 _"It's my fault the monster came after us," she said. "It's my responsibility. Here." She picked up the little god statue and pressed it into his hand. "If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him… tell him I'm sorry." Why would she want to tell Nico she was sorry?_

 _"Bianca, no!" But she wasn't waiting for me. She charged at the monster's left foot._

 _Bianca? Oh my gods… Bianca di Angelo… Nico's sister. I was about to watch her die._

 _I stared, entranced as she managed to climb into the monster's foot and watched with horror as it crashed into the power lines. Tears rolled down my face when they could not find her._

 _The scene shifted once more._

 _"She wanted you to have this." Percy brought out the little god figurine Bianca had found in the junkyard. Nico held it in his palm and stared at it._

 _"You promised you would protect her," Nico said. His words were bitter and cold and his eyes were icing over, filling with malice and spite._

 _Nico," I said. "I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. I told her not to. But she—"_

 _"You promised!" He glared, his eyes rimmed with red. He closed his small fist around the god statue._

 _"I shouldn't have trusted you." His voice broke. "You lied to me. My nightmares were right!"_

 _"Wait. What nightmares?" He flung the god statue to the ground. It clattered across the icy marble._

 _"I hate you!"_

 _"She might be alive," Percy said desperately. "I don't know for sure—"_

 _"She's dead." He closed his eyes. His whole body trembled with rage. "I should've known it earlier. She's in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it."_

 _The grounds broke and out erupted skeleton soldiers. Percy took a step back._

 _"You're trying to kill me!" Nico screamed. "You brought these… these things?"_

 _"No! I mean, yes, they followed me, but no! Nico, run. They can't be destroyed."_

 _"I don't trust you!"_

 _The first skeleton charged. Percy knocked aside its blade, but the other three kept coming. He sliced one in half, but immediately it began to knit back together. He knocked another's head off but it just kept fighting. "Run, Nico!" Percy yelled. "Get help!"_

 _"No!" He pressed his hands to his ears.  
_

 _"No!" Nico shouted louder. "Go away!"  
_

 _The ground rumbled. The skeletons froze and Percy rolled out of the way just as a crack  
opened at the feet of the four warriors. The ground ripped apart like a snapping mouth.  
Flames erupted from the fissure, and the earth swallowed the skeletons in one loud  
_

 _CRUNCH!  
_

 _Silence.  
_

 _In the place where the skeletons had stood, a twenty-foot-long scar wove across the marble  
floor of the pavilion. Otherwise there was no sign of the warriors.  
_

 _Awestruck, he looked to Nico. "How did you—"  
_

 _"Go away!" he yelled. "I hate you! I wish you were dead!"  
_

 _Nico ran down the steps, heading toward the woods.  
_

 _Percy started to follow but slipped and fell to the icy steps. When he got up, he looked to the floor.  
_

 _He picked up the god statue Bianca had retrieved from the junkyard for Nico. The only statue  
he didn't have, she'd said. A last gift from his sister. It was the god Hades._

 _Again, everything warped and I wanted to scream for it to stop. That didn't happen, of course._

" _I'm so sorry," Percy said._

" _You have nothing to apologize for, Percy. I made my own choice. I don't regret it."_

" _Bianca!" Nico stumbled forward like he was just coming out of a daze. She turned toward her brother. Her expression was sad._

" _Hello, Nico. You've gotten so tall."_

" _Why didn't you answer me sooner?" he cried. "I've been trying for months!"_

" _I was hoping you would give up."_

" _Give up?" He sounded heartbroken. "How can you say that? I'm trying to save you!"_

" _You can't, Nico. Don't do this. Percy is right."_

" _No! He let you die! He's not your friend." Bianca stretched out a hand as if to touch her brother's face, but she was made of mist. Her hand evaporated as it got close to living skin._

" _You must listen to me," she said. "Holding a grudge is dangerous for a child of Hades. It is our fatal flaw. You have to forgive. You have to promise me this."_

" _I can't. Never." His face was livid and tears were welling up in his eyes and I felt my heart cracking._

" _Percy has been worried about you, Nico. He can help. I let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you."_

" _So it was you," I said. "You sent those Iris-messages." Bianca nodded._

" _Why are you helping him and not me?" Nico screamed. "It's not fair!"_

" _You are close to the truth now," Bianca told him. "It's not Percy you're mad at, Nico. It's me."_

" _No."_

" _You're mad because I left you to become a Hunter of Artemis. You're mad because I died and left you alone. I'm sorry for that, Nico. I truly am. But you must overcome the anger. And stop blaming Percy for my choices. It will be your doom."_

" _She's right," Annabeth broke in. "Kronos is rising, Nico. He'll twist anyone he can to his cause."_

" _I don't care about Kronos," Nico said. "I just want my sister back." I was a new version of his sister, wasn't I. He wanted his sister and had found me, who had killed him. Me, who was going to abandon my friends to be free. Me, who was so unbelievably selfish._

" _You can't have that, Nico," Bianca told him gently._

" _I'm the son of Hades! I can." No, no you can't, Nico. You can't._

" _Don't try," she said. "If you love me, don't…" Her voice trailed off._

 _Spirits had started to gather around them again, and they seemed agitated. Their shadows shifted. Their voices whispered, Danger!_

" _Tartarus stirs," Bianca said. "Your power draws the attention of Kronos. The dead must return to the Underworld. It is not safe for us to remain."_

" _Wait," Nico said. "Please—"_

" _Goodbye, Nico," Bianca said. "I love you. Remember what I said."_

 _This time I did scream as my surroundings rippled._

 _Hazel and Frank were sitting in artificial light, Nico looming over them. He didn't seem to notice Frank, but he locked eyes with Hazel._

" _You're different," he said. "A child of Pluto. You remember your past."_

" _Yes," Hazel said. "And you're alive." Nico studied her warily._

" _I'm Nico di Angelo," he said. "I came looking for my sister. Death has gone missing, so I thought…I thought I could bring her back and no one would notice."_

" _Back to life?" Hazel asked. "Is that possible?"_

" _It should have been." Nico sighed. "But she's gone. She chose to be reborn into a new life. I'm too late." Bianca di Angelo was reborn. She became me and I became her. But was I not Bianca di Angelo? Or was I my own person and she her own as well? The thoughts made me hysterical. Nico lost his sister to_ me, _me of all people._

" _I'm sorry."_

 _He held out his hand. "You're my sister too. You deserve another chance. Come with me._

 _My surroundings flashed and I dropped to the ground. I'm going to go lose my mind here, I thought wildly. The thought ripped a maniacal giggle from me._

 _Nico was bleeding out on the ground in the forest. Will had his hands pressed to his abdomen, face contorted in concentration. I was kneeling next to hi, begging him to hold on, but to no avail. He was gone and suddenly a pink light was cast around me and I found myself in pink robes and jewels or all sorts. I was claimed, but I didn't care._

" _Wake up!" I screeched, tears rolling down my face. "Wake_ up! _Will, heal him, please! Bring him back! You have to bring him back!"_

 _Will's face was pale and beads of sweat were trickling down his neck. His aura was dimming slowly. Suddenly, with a forced exhale, he dropped back._

" _He's gone, London. I'm sorry. He's gone. The wound- I couldn't- I'm so sorry." Then he collapsed into quiet sobs._

 _Hazel was sitting, tear tracks fresh on her face, body racking with the force of her crying, brushing the hair out of his eyes and muttering something about him needing a haircut._

 _Jason, Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Reyna, Leo, Piper, and Calypso came running over._

" _Guys!" Jason shouted, in a panic. "We heard- oh…" His voice became small as he saw Nico._

 _Percy mumbled something about yet another di Angelo he failed to protect, and, on the verge of tears, sat down on the grass next to Hazel._

" _My gods…" Reyna breathed. Her voice wobbled and her lips trembled. She pressed them together in a thin, firm line and leaned over. Gently, very gently, she put a finger on each of his eyelids and closed them._

 _Then she looked up. "What happened?" Her voice was hard and tears were threatening to spill over. "Who did this?"  
_

 _Will wiped his eyes. "A hellhound, Reyna. There was a hellhound and- well…"_

" _It was me!" I suddenly burst out. "I ran away! He needed to save_ me _from the monster! It's my fault he's dead!"_

 _He's dead he's dead he's dead he's dead he's dead he's dead… the words played over and over in my head. He was dead, he was dead, he was dead. And it was all my fault._

" _London, whatever happened, it was_ not _your fault, you hear me? It wasn't." Piper said softly._

" _It was!" I shouted. "If I didn't run away, he'd still be alive!"_

" _It was not your fault. If the blame was to be pinned on anyone, it should be pinned on me." Will said firmly, standing up. "Come on. We have a shroud to prepare for-" his voice broke a little. "For the son of Hades."_

 _As everyone was walking away, Jason and Reyna carrying Nico, Piper pulled me aside._

" _Look, I know now isn't really the right time, but you got claimed."_

" _So what if I did?" I spat._

 _Piper sighed. "Aphrodite claimed you, and that means you'll stay in the Aphrodite cabin from now on."  
_

" _I don't want to!"_

" _London… if you're a daughter of Aphrodite, I'm your half-sister. It's mandatory for you to stay there now. It isn't a choice."  
_

 _I stayed silent, staring at the ground and trying to drown in the depths of my beating heart._

 _Piper sighed and offered me her hand. When I didn't take it, she knelt down._

" _Come on." she said. "We have a funeral to go to and you have to get settled in."_

 _I didn't reply but followed her. I closed my eyes and saw the colour that had become a permanent presence on my body after the funeral, whether I wore it out of mourning or stubbornness I did not know._

 _How long would I be stuck in this loop? For all eternity, some dark part of me said._

 _Hazel and I sat in the room given to us by Emmie and Jo. Will was there too. He had his own room but liked sitting with us, for some strange reason. I was lounging on one of the beds, headphones on and music blasting. I was listening to_ The Kids Aren't Alright _by_ Fall Out Boy.

 _Hazel glanced over. "Whatcha listening to?"_

"Fall Out Boy." _I responded._

" _You know, Nico loved that band. I don't know why; it was so loud!" She paused, smiling at me. "He's rubbed off on you." she said teasingly._

 _I didn't answer. A pang went off in my stomach, enveloping my insides in a blanket of dull sorrow._

" _He actually liked all the music you listen to, come to think of it." Will added absentmindedly._

" _And?" I pressed my lips together. The music suddenly seemed too loud, pounding into my skull._

" _And all I'm saying is that you two are so similar. Black clothing, messy hair, Mythomagic, emo music, stubborn as fuck-" Hazel rolled her eyes at Will._

 _I closed my eyes and I saw him. I had kept a photo of him in my bunk, a photo of the two of us. I had packed it for the trip and I saw the outline so clearly in my mind. It was a simple one, just of me hugging him one day not long before he had died, my sword still in hand. He had looked so at ease, and I had felt happier than I could ever remember._

 _But maybe I didn't want to remember. Maybe remembering how it was led up to how it happened, and how it happened led to how it is. And I didn't like how it is, I didn't accept how it is. I didn't want it to be the way it is._

 _My eyes snapped open. Will and Hazel were conversing about Nico._

" _It's been so long, I've seen him only once or twice in the Underworld. He says so hidden, Dad doesn't let me see him because he respects Nico's wishes of solitude. He misses you, you know that, right London?" Hazel suddenly asked me._

 _I ground my teeth and seethed._

" _I hope when he comes back he can forgive me. Gods, I don't even know what got into me tha day. I was just so angry and… and… I just wanted to scream. Even though he did nothing wrong…" Will trailed off._

" _He'll forgive you." Hazel assured him. "I can't wait to hug him. He always smelled like pomegranates for some bizarre reason. Then I'll take him to get a fucking haircut, for the love of the gods."_

 _Will snorted and their eyes turned to me._

" _Well?" I said, kind of snappishly. "Am I supposed to say something?"  
_

" _Well, we just assumed-" I cut Will off with an angry shout._

" _What did you expect me to want to say? I remember that his favorite Mythomagic card was the Ghost King card, his very own card that he never stopped fangirling over? That he never did redecorate the Hades cabin? That he never washed that fucking leather jacket of his, even though it desperately needed one?" My throat was closing up and the balloon in my chest filled with lead, burying my heart in my sorrows like his ashes were buried in the ground. I kept on going._

" _You want me to say that he'd summon tiny skeleton creatures for the kids with depression to cheer them up? That he loved helping out in the infirmary, even though he complained so fucking much about it?" Will made a choking noise and something thudded against my ribcage._

 _This isn't right, this isn't right, this isn't right. Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking._

 _I kept talking. "That he had it so damn bad for Will but refused to admit it? That Hazel was one of his top priorities? That he called me his favorite small human? WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?" I screamed suddenly._

 _Rage. My bones were made of rage. Pure, raw rage and it was so coiled up, so restless, so tired of being stored away for another rainy day. Rage. Every fiber of my being was rage. I was on fire, exhilarated with the screaming and the pent up anger and the power that came with it and gods, oh, gods, it felt so good to feed those flames._

" _What's_ wrong _with you?" Will asked in a small voice, smaller than I'd ever heard._

" _You want us to forget him because you can't handle his death? Let me tell you something, London Maxwell, death is a part of life. Life is short and death is eternal. That is something_ every _child of the Underworld knows. Nico knew it too. He wasn't spitting nails about leaving and neither should you!" Hazel seemed to have snapped just like me._

 _All the better!  
_

" _Maybe I do want to forget him!" I was standing up now. I could feel my nails digging into the flesh of my palm. "Maybe I don't want to have to deal with every little detail he left behind, and how they would still mean something when put together if the person who made them mean something in the first place was still here! Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I don't remember because I would go fucking psycho if I did?"_

 _My hands found the thing closest to me, which happened to be my headphones. Without thinking, I drew my arm back and hurled them at the wall. An awful cracking noise, then dead silence._

" _London-" Will reached for me but I shoved his hand away._

 _I was hurting people, and it felt good. I was hurting people and I was a bad person. I was hurting people but gods, I needed this. I needed it._

 _I stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind me so hard the hinges shook. I went to the only place I could think of; the Hunters' room. I knocked on the door and Dani opened it. She took one look at me and grabbed my arm, pulling me inside. It was then I realized how exhausted I was. I stumbled over to a bare corner of the room and the last thing I saw was a blanket being thrown over me._

My eyes snapped open and my nails immediately went to my neck where the locket still lay. I scrabbled at the chain, trying to tear it off. I was still in the Hunters' room, and a very freaked out Artemis was sitting. Thalia was not there.

"What ails you, half-blood?" she demanded. Her features were unsettled.

"Get it off! Get it off!" I screeched. The chain dug into the palm of my hand, severing the flesh as I attempted to grasp and pull it.

Artemis opened her mouth to respond as the door flew open and Thalia came sprinting in, dragging a disorientated Will behind her. I tugged the chain one final time. It snapped with a sharp _CRACK_ that chilled me to the bones.

"What's going on in here?" he yelled, brandishing his medical bag like a homing beacon. "Thalia literally dragged me here! I heard the screaming from halfway across the Waystation!"

I clutched Aphrodite's locket in my hand. I could feel it's surface pressing into my palm, no doubt leaving an imprint. I stared at the now broken chain protruding from the gap in my fist.

 _But you have to promise to keep my sister safe._

 _If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him I'm sorry._

 _You promised!_

 _I don't care about Kronos. I just want my sister back._

 _You're my sister, too. You deserve another chance._

 _Wake_ up! _Will, heal him, please! Bring him back! You have to bring him back!_

 _WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?_

 _Little soldier…_

My muscles seized up and I flung it at the wall with the force of an onager.

"Kill it with fire!" I scrambled back several feet, backing up against a wall.

"What _happened?_ " Will demanded, eyes scanning the room. "I haven't seen her this delirious since… I can't even remember when!"

"Lady Artemis was giving her the offer of taking the oath of the Hunters." Thalia supplied. "Then she blacked out and started screaming and grabbing at her necklace."

"What does that locket have to do with anything?" Will was digging through his bag. "Wasn't it a gift from her mother?"

I looked up at him with wild, crazed eyes. "He was dead by the cur birthed by the night, Will! And the warrior of bronze, it crushed her, it crushed her because she wanted to save them, she wanted to save them because she didn't want them to pay for her mistake. And she was sorry, she wanted him to know that much but he never accepted it. He tried to get her back but he couldn't, he couldn't because the dead had to stay where they were and he realized he had to accept that. And then when Death was chained and he had his chance, he couldn't because she was gone and she had become me, me of all people, Will, and so he took his sister of Roman blood. And then-" I threw my head back and let loose a crazy, maniacal shriek. "- he found me in the ruins of another life and do you know what, Will, do you know?"

"And then he _died,_ Will, he's gone and I want to remember him but I can't, I can't because if I do it might break me more than seeing that did."

But I was broken, wasn't I? This was what being completely gone felt like, this was what it meant for your mind to be torn apart from insanity. And maybe it was okay to be torn apart from insanity and everything that kept you anchored snapped like a brittle twig. But what were the chances of being put back together?

I was _broken._ I was everything he had begged me not to be. I was _him,_ I was him and there couldn't have been a sadder irony than that at this very moment.

And suddenly my face was wet and my wrists were throbbing and everything was shaking. But the hollowness in my chest was fading for the first time in days as Thalia ran back in with someone else- how did I not notice she had left?- and golden eyes and a face painted clear as crystal with panic dropped it's gaze to me. Arms wrapped around me and something soft dried my cheeks and soft murmurs clouded my thoughts with peace.

"I don't want to forget him. I'm sorry I ever said I did, I don't want to, Hazel, Will, I don't want to. Please, don't let me forget him. Please, promise me." I begged over and over through tears as thick as molasses.

And when they promised, I could breathe easier and my hands stopped shaking because I realized I was no longer war. Thee raging burning like I was made of liquid fire dissipating like water into steam. No, I was love, I was peace, I was beauty and I was reminded that even fire, the angriest of nature's substances, had to succumb to the gentle pureness that was water. That when fire died, it was so much lighter and freer than its previous form.

When I was no longer shaking and my shoulders were relaxed- how long had they been so stiff?- Aphrodite's locket was to be put away.

I stared at the white doves as Hazel slipped the locket into her pocket.

 _It will grant you power in a time of helplessness and aid you when a decision must be made,_ Aphrodite had said. _When a decision must be made…_

"Wait!" I blurted. "Give it back." I stretched out my hand. Hazel looked at me hesitantly.

"We have reason to believe it's cursed, London." she said sadly. "You can't just have it back. It granted you a series of several powerful flashbacks that weren't even yours."

"I want it back." I insisted, still holding out my hand. When Hazel made no move to give it back, I got up and walked over to her.

"Don't you see?" I asked with a twinge of bittersweetness to my voice. "Aphrodite told me it would grant me power in a time of helplessness and aid me when a decision must be made."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Will darted over and pressed a flask of nectar into my hands. "That stupid locket is cursed. I don't know what Aphrodite was thinking. It's not meant to do anything but cause grief."

"But it did do something." I said quietly. " _It will aid you when a decision must be made._ And-" I looked at Thalia and Artemis, who were no doubt still waiting for their answer. "I think I made my decision."

"And what would that be, half-blood?" Artemis arches an eyebrow.

I took a deep breath. "Thank you for your offer, but… I can't be a Hunter. As much as I would love to, I can't. I have a quest to complete and friends that need me. I have a son of Hades to bring back." I paused, looking her in the eye. "I think that was the mistake my past manifestation made. Bianca. She chose what she wanted for herself over what was needed and right. I'm not giving myself the chance to repeat history. I'm sorry."

Artemis looked at me for a good, long time. "I cannot say I understand you, London Maxwell, but I respect your decision. If you ever change your mind in the future, you are welcome amongst our ranks."

"Thank you." I did a spasming sort of bow towards her and shook Thalia's hand. Will briefly looked like he was having a 'me-to-me' battle in his head, then took the locket from Hazel and carefully passed it to me. I stuck it in my jeans and grabbed Hazel's hand in my right, Will's in my left, and left the room, Aphrodite's locket in peeking out of my pocket.

And that night, after recollecting everything I could remember about Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, Mythomagic dork extreme, I mulled over the prophecy given to me. A responsibility I was entrusted with.

 _A tempting proposal to live wild and free,_

 _And all the celibate sisters need is loyalty._

Not my loyalty. Not today. I'm wild and I'm free even without their immortality. And so what if I'm aro and ace? That doesn't define me, not at all. I don't need anyone to be freer than a breeze on a blustery day.

 **Twenty one pages, guys.**

 **Twenty**

 **One**

 **Pages.**

 **That could be a new band- but that's not the point. I'm trying to update as much as possible and I know the past few chapters have been emotional. Very emotional. I'll try to make the others lighthearted-er… but I have Rick Riordan Level plans for the final five or so chapters.**

 ***cue evil cackle and lightning crackling* (thanks, Jason)**

 **Happy reading, all!**


	11. Chapter 11

Back in mine and Hazel's room, I was trying not to think. Of course being aro and ace didn't define me, it never would, but now I finally had time to let it sink in. And, well...

I couldn't fall in love. 'Getting it on,' as Thalia put it, was not an option for me when I got older. I could never get married or have kids or a family, and when I was younger I had promised myself I would have a family one day, and I would give them everything I couldn't have. And now I couldn't even have that. I knew this didn't define me, but it still made me bitter. Everything I had wanted for my future… suddenly, I couldn't have it. I would never be able to have it. What use was a daughter of Aphrodite when she was incapable of love? My mother's locket seemed colder lately, as if to possibly express her disapproval.

Did my mother not accept me because I couldn't love? I had never cared for my mother much, but the thought of losing another connection made me want to cry, which was something I did very rarely.

I mulled over this as I packed to leave.

I closed the bookbag the Hunters had gotten for me. They had somehow managed to acquire some fresh clothing and even gave us one of their tents. I had hung out with Georgie before bedtime last night, and she seemed genuinely concerned about my wellbeing. I assured her I was doing just fine.

"London!" Hazel called from the doorway. "We're going! You have to thank Emmie and Jo and pay your respects to the Hunters."

"Why do I have to pay my respects to _Hannah_?" I grumbled as I slung the bag over one shoulder and marched out the door, my wallet chains clinking against each other and Reaper swinging dangerously at my hip. I stopped in front of the door of the Waystation. Artemis, the Hunters, Emmie, Jo, and Georgie were waiting.

"Lady Artemis." Hazel knelt, inclining her head. Will and I did the same, but he made sure to keep his distance. He only knelt briefly and quickly left, seeing the murderous looks the Hunters were giving him.

"Thank you for your hospitality and your care." Will was telling Emmie and Jo. "Really, it means a lot."

"You're Apollo's kid, eh?" Jo clapped his back. "Not so much of a chip of the old block, I see. But it's really no problem. We're glad you enjoyed your stay. Try not to die on your quest, kiddos."

I was going to say bye to Georgie when Artemis grabbed my hand from behind.

"I wanted to tell you something. Not about you taking the Hunters' oath, but about a certain Brynn Maxwell. I believe you are familiar with her?"

I stiffened. Was she joking? I couldn't quite tell. She knew Brynn, Brynn 'leap before you look because only the good die young' Maxwell, the motto she lived by as I was growing up.

"How do you know her?" I asked harshly, trying and failing to keep the panic and spite out of my voice.

"Relax, daughter of Aphrodite. Brynn Maxwell was amongst the best of my Hunters, extremely skilled and devoted to her Oath. However…" The goddess shook her head. A silvery aura seemed to shroud her, and my mind was fogged with bitter pride. It was brief and hasty and vanished even before I had the chance to blink.

"There were some things she would have died for rather than live out the rest of her immortal years in safety amongst the Hunt. But, London Maxwell?"

Her eyes bore into mine, holding a gaze I couldn't break out of.

"I have a feeling she never would have regretted her choice."

I couldn't speak. How long had I known Brynn? Almost five years, and I hadn't noticed she never seemed to age, never grew, never got seriously ill or injured?

"Thank you for that, Lady Artemis." was all I could think of to say. She nodded and turned, walking away from me.

As I turned, a scene flashed before my eyes.

 _The front door creaked. Keith and I looked up from the kitchen table to be greeted with Brynn's mischievous grin._

" _Hope you guys haven't been too bored while I was gone!" She set down her knapsack and kicked off her combat boots on the rug. Keith's expression hardened, while I cheered and wriggled out of my chair._

" _Brynn! You're home! Where'd you go this time?"_

" _Went scaling Mount Everest with just my bare hands, that's what! No harness, no anything- and I made it all the way to the top." Her teeth flashed as she grinned._

" _Were you scared?" I asked, eyes wide in awe. "Did you fall, even once?"_

" _Nah, not me! I lost my foothold once when I was near the very top and my friends were freaking out, but I held on tight and flipped upward and landed on a part of the mountain jutting out, just barely large enough for my foot to fit! You know, one day, I'ma take you climbing with me and my friends."_

" _Really? I don't think I'd be any good, Brynn." I responded doubtfully. She only let out a barking laugh and ruffled my hair._

" _You kidding? You'd be the best out of all of us, London!" Brynn strode over to the kitchen table and collapsed into a chair, leaning back nonchalantly._

" _What if I fell?" I asked carefully._

" _Just remember to leap before you look because only the good die young!" Brynn's cocoa skin gleamed as she tilted her head back. "So as long as you grow up evil, you have nothing to worry about."_

" _That's horrible advice, Brynn." Keith said tightly, face contorting underneath the shadow of her baseball cap. "From someone who's supposed to be a role model and older sister."_

" _Only you would say so!" Brynn shot back carelessly._

" _Listen, I need to talk to you. It's important."_

" _Fine. Shoot, then." Brynn picked at her finger with an air of indifference._

" _In private." Keith's voice was becoming even tighter._

" _We… are in private though."_

 _Keith gave her a piercing look and realization dawned on Brynn's face. "You mean away from-"_

 _Keith wasn't waiting for her to finish her sentence. She rocketed out of her chair so hard it tipped. Storming over to Brynn, she grabbed her wrist and dragged her away._

 _I was left standing there._

 _I scurried after them and pressed my ear against Keith''s closed bedroom door._

" _What do you mean, no more trips?!" Brynn's shocked voice growled. "I have to go! I know what I signed up for! Maybe you didn't once Mom and Dad died, but I remembered who I was! Lady-"_

" _I departed with my honour!" Keith sounded exasperated. "But this isn't about me or you- it's about London! You and I both know what she's capable of."_

 _Capable of? Why were they worried about me? My stomach coiled uncomfortably._

" _She's getting older, she's going to have to learn who she is eventually! And she's stronger than any average one of our kind. It's going to attract them eventually- do you realize what's at risk if you keep going off galavanting and putting your life on the line for fun just because you can?"_

" _I'm practically immortal! I take the risk because Mom and Dad didn't and look where they wound up. I'm not going to die with the regrets they did, be it now or in a millennia!"_

" _Don't you dare use Mom and Dad's names like that, Brynn Maxwell. Don't you dare. They deserve better than that."_

" _Are you going to sit around and pretend that it wasn't their fault they're six feet under? Maybe if they had acted on their instincts they would still be alive. It was their own fatal flaws that got them killed-"  
_

" _And_ your _fatal flaw is going to get_ you _killed!" Keith hissed._

" _Better deadly pride than being too careful!" Brynn shouted._

 _There was a guttural growl, a sharp crack, and a pained grunt._

" _They died protecting you and I, Brynn!" Keith shrieked, her voice thick with tears. "Are you that quick to forget? Is it their fault they wanted their daughters to live to fight another day?"_

" _Do you remember what they put us through for that? We never stayed in the same place for more than one or two weeks, we could never make any friends because we'd always have to leave them, and the attacks, the attacks- how quick do_ you _forget?"_

" _I haven't forgotten!"_

" _I think you have. You're trying to justify their ruining our childhood with their dying for us." Brynn said coldly. "They're not here anymore, Keith! We were able to live our lives! We were able to go and do what we pleased of our accord. We were able to have friends, and the only attacks we had to fend off were the ones we signed ourselves up for. And_ you _left it all behind!"_

" _Weren't you the one who told me that Mom and Dad always said that it was going to be alright in the end? That even if it wasn't alright, it wasn't the end. Well, one day you're going to realize that even though it isn't alright and it is the end. It's been a long time since I've been on a battlefield, even held a sword. You're the only one who still knows what she's doing! You- your fatal flaw is no deadly pride! It's recklessness! You're a coward, a goddamn coward! You're going to get us all killed in the end because when we need you the most, you won't be there."_

 _Brynn made a noise like she'd been kicked in the side. "You-"_

" _Go. Go with your friends and jump off a cliff with no harness just to see if you can. Go and face off a pride of starving lions to see if you can tire them. Go. Live your life. But as long as you're doing just that, you won't need to be a part of ours."_

" _Fine, then!" The fire was back in Brynn's voice. I had just enough time to dart back into the kitchen before I heard the door slam open and see Brynn and Keith march out. Brynn's nose was bleeding. Keith wasn't looking at her as she threw on her boots, grabbed her bag and, without even bothering to stop and say goodbye to me or tie her laces, she walked out._

And then I was at the door of the Waystation, shaking Jo's strong hand.

"Thanks again for your hospitality." I mumbled, stepping out into the cold air. My sword felt like it weighed a million pounds.

Will and Hazel thanked them once more and stepped outside with me. It was broad daylight.

"We need to find a shadow." Will said, chewing his lip.

"Do you remember what happened last time?" Hazel asked him pointedly.

"I do, but I'm prepared. Emmie and Jo gave me something that won't make me spontaneously combust if I take too much. Anyways, it's not even that much." He dug into the pocket of his cutoff shorts and pulled out a corked bottle the size of my middle finger and about three inches wide.

"Moonwater. I have to chug this immediately after the travel."

"Are you sure it'll work?" I eyed it cautiously.

Nobody answered. I sighed and decided to change the topic.

"It's 700 miles from Long Island Sound to Indianapolis. It's 1,614 miles from Long Island Sound to Texas in general. We have 914 miles left to go. Can you make it in one jump, Hazel?"

"Most likely, yes. But-" she added thoughtfully. "It would take more strength. I'm better rested than I have been in a while, actually, so the aftereffects wouldn't be so bad. We just need to be prepared. Emmie and Jo also were nice enough to give Will some more ambrosia and eight more ounces of nectar, and that on top of our previous stores? We're pretty well stocked."

"Where's the entrance? We need to get as close to there as possible." Will asked quickly.

"The Mill Pond Park. It's a huge tourist attraction. That's good and bad, because we could get blend in with the crowd but also literally because there are many people there." Hazel pursed her lips and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get there." I decided, and stepped into the shadow of the Waystation.

Hazel took our hands and we plunged into darkness.

The shadows spat us out underneath the shade of a shrub. I tumbled a couple of feet along until I pulled myself up, coughed up a mouthful of dirt, and immediately pulled out my sword. Will was aware enough to uncork the bottle of moonwater and down it almost immediately. When he looked up, his skin was its usual tanned shade and his eyes were bright and inquisitive. There was almost no sign of ailment.

Okay, we were all fine. I gripped my sword tightly and slowly turned in a circle, holding out the weapon like a homing beacon. No monsters, as far as I could tell. That was good. We were in a deserted part of the park, which was even better.

I let out a breath that was building up in my lungs, and studied our surroundings. Hazel and Will were sprawled on the grass, brushing themselves off and gathering their scattered belongings.

I held out a hand to Hazel and she grasped it, pulling herself off the ground. Will did the same, clutching the pack that held his medical supplies and shotgun.

"Where to?" he asked, looking at Hazel.

"This is the Mill Pond Park- gods, what does dad have with parks?" she grumbled. A gold ambience seemed to envelope her. It felt disgruntled, scattered, and strangely terse. Hazel had seemed on edge the whole day, come to think of it.

Okay. This was just plain weird. First Georgie, then Will, Artemis, and now Hazel? Unlike the other times this had happened, it didn't disappear quickly. In fact, the ambience was thickening as the feeling was growing stronger. Will looked at me strangely.

"London? Are you okay? Good gods, if you pass out on me again I swear to- _shit_! Your eyes are turning _purple._ "

" _What?_ " I yelped, hands flying up to my eyes as if I could feel the colour by touch.

"It is too early for this paranormal bullshit…" Will groaned, scratching the back of his neck. "Hazel! What the hell is going on?"

"Will… her eyes aren't purple. They're amber, as usual." Hazel shook her head, cinnamon curls flying.

"But they were just purple! I know what I saw."

"Can we stop talking about my eyes? _Please_?" I asked wearily. Hazel's ambience had just begun to fade and my head was hurting. "We have to find the entrance to the Underworld."

"It's supposed to be at the waterfall." she pointed about fifty yards away. "It's not like the Door of Orpheus where you need to sing. It just needs a strong will. Dad wouldn't elaborate past that. The water is supposed to part and reveal a hidden entrance."

I was already sprinting towards it. "What kind of strong will does this need? Can I, like, punch a rock or something?"

"I already _told_ you…" Hazel huffed. Her gold eyes were unsettled. "That my father didn't elaborate."

"Hazel?" Will asked tentatively. "You okay? You've been sort of… off… the whole day."

Hazel was silent for a good minute. Then she said quietly, "It's the Autumn Equinox. Nature doesn't like children of Hades/Pluto today. Nico and I have a pretty good relationship with Persephone, and Demeter doesn't hate us as much because we eat all the wheat stuff she gives us. But nature is still hostile towards us and today isn't much better."

Will's mouth formed a silent _oh_ of understanding.

"Well, then, let's get this entrance open and get you out of the park." I declared, stepping up to the waterfall.

"Maybe we should wait." Will suggested. "Waiting would suggest a strong will because we're willing to wait in order to gain entrance."

So we waited. And waited. And waited some more.

"Maybe we should try harnessing our powers." Hazel said thoughtfully. "I could pull a stunt with the earth or Will could do something with the light."

As she spoke, she maneuvered her hands and a clod of dirt the size of a small boulder started forming. She thrust her hands forward and the dirt shot into the stream of water. Other than the temporary contamination of the liquid, nothing happened. Will bent some light and propelled it into the fall. Same results as before. I sliced the water with my sword, and other than some angry hissing as the water came into contact with the blade, we were still at square one.

I was beginning to get impatient. "We _have_ to get into the Underworld. I didn't come all this way for nothing!" The locket felt like a chunk of ice against my chest.

I started forward, prepared to tear every muscle in my body digging my way into the Underworld when I heard a voice behind me.

"Did I hear you kids say you needed a way into the Underworld?" The voice was low and rough. I noticed Will and Hazel tense up noticeably out of the corner of my eye. I whirled around and lifted my sword, only to find myself facing a man who practically radiated anger.

Strange thing was, it didn't affect me.

"What's it to you?" I growled, trying to see his eyes through his black biker shades.

"A lot of things, kid." The man looked at me over the edge of his shades and for the first time I noticed the flames dancing in the lenses. "Haven't seen a more powerful band of demigods since I met Jackson and his friends in that restaurant back in '05." 

I narrowed my eyes as I realized who he was. "Ares. What do you want?"

"The cards are in your favor if you play this right, kid. Be careful. I can tell you how to get into the Underworld. Now, I can tell you what you want to know, _but_ you have to prove yourself worthy of it. One of you three has to fight a monster that I summon. That's the only way."

"What are your terms and conditions?" I asked carefully, not breaking eye contact

His lip curled, as if he didn't expect to be asked that question. "You're smart, demigod. Athena spawn, I presume?"

"Aphrodite, actually." I flashed him my most winning smile before reverting back to seriousness. "And now, the terms and conditions, if you may?"

"Term number one: I choose the monster." he said staring me down. "Term two: I choose which one of you fights it."

"But- but that's not fair!" Will sputtered. "We should at least be able to guarantee ourselves the best chance of success!"

"Nothing's fair in love and war, lightbulb." Ares said with distaste. "You demigods should know that out of anyone." He looked over us as if he was deciding which lamb to slaughter.

Something swelled in my chest and I stepped forward. "I'll fight your monster, I'll do it. Don't make them fight. This is _my_ quest. _My_ responsibility."

He let out a low, dry chuckle. "I admire your gumption, kid, but I have someone better in mind." His eyes scanned us once more before doubling back and resting on Will.

"You. Apollo's kid, no? Let's see just how good you are with a sword." he grinned and for the first time, I truly understood why people feared war. It didn't seem real until it was staring you in the face.

"Give me my gun." Will said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

I retrieved it from his bag and gingerly placed it in his hands. He cocked it and cursed. "Out of shells? I could have sworn we got some from Emmie and Jo…"

Ares caught my eye and the smug leer on his face told me all I need to know.

Silently, I handed Will my sword and tried to swallow the nervous lump in my throat. We watched as Ares snapped his finger and the ground broke open, spewing out a madly salivating hellhound. The lump in my throat solidified as I stared into its crazy eyes.

" _Go away! GO AWAY!"_

" _Run! "RUN! Get back to camp, go, run, don't look back! You have to go!"_

" _What about you?!"_

" _Just GO! Get as far away from here as you can!"_

 _"I may be mad at you for not telling me the truth, but I'm not leaving you behind! I'm NOT leaving you behind!"_

It shook its head, spraying spit everywhere. It looked me in the eye and I knew that, somehow, it recognized me from that day in the woods three years ago.

Then, it charged.

Will yelped, tucking and rolling underneath its stomach and popped up behind it. While it was distracted, he hacked at its back ankle with my sword. The hellhound hissed and whirled around, snapping its jaws.

He feinted left, then right, then left again and managed to drive the blade into the monster's right front paw. He yanked it back out at a jagged angle and leapt several feet to the left as it pounced on the spot where he had been seconds before.

It had only been a few minutes, but he was still weak from shadow travel. Moonwater, ambrosia, and nectar could only do so much for a demigod, after all. And it was beginning to show. His neck was drenched in sweat and with the autumn sun beating down on us, his hair was plastered to his forehead and in his eyes.

The monster batted at the sword and it was propelled out of Will's hand. I watched, helpless, as it skittered into the waterfall.

Will scrambled after it, sparing a quick glance over his shoulder at the advancing monster. He must have heard the predatorial growl at the same time I did, because he turned around and made a quick motion with his hands. An orb of light shot at the hellhound's eyes. While it was distracted, he put his fingers to his lips and let out an awful supersonic whistle. I had only witnessed the use of it once or twice before.

The hellhound let out a harsh, piercing cry as it rolled on the floor in agony. Ares's leer turned into a snarl as Will dove for the sword and, with shaky hands, put the hellhound down.

"We did as you asked." he said fiercely, though I could see the pain in his eyes as he handed me back my weapon. "Tell us how to get into the Underworld."

"Ah, I think I might have forgotten to mention something." Ares flashed us a grin. "One of you kids has to fight _me._ "

Instantly, I growled, "You didn't tell us that. I asked for the terms and conditions and you didn't tell me that after fighting the monster, we had to fight you. It's like you _want_ our fucking quest to fail."

He scowled at me. "I would shut my trap if I were you, half-blood."

"This is _my_ quest! My companions and the outcome of this quest are _my_ responsibility, and I'm not taking any shit that might put those two factors in danger!"

"London. That's enough." Hazel's voice was strained and I knew she was trying to keep it together. "You don't want to anger the war god."

I took a deep breath, trembling all over. "Forget it. Let's just get this over with."

"You're Hades's daughter, aren't you?" Ares looked at Hazel with distaste. "As far as I know, you're not even supposed to be alive… Thanatos was supposed to take you back to the Underworld."

Hazel gritted her teeth. "I'm the daughter of _Pluto._ For someone related to Frank, you have a severe lacking in basic manners."

Ares's face was livid. "Step right up, Miss Levesque. It's time for you to stare into the eyes of certain death."

"Been there, done that, and survived it." Hazel deadpanned, brandishing her spatha.

Ares grunted and whipped out a hunting knife as long as my forearm and rushed at Hazel. She sidestepped and swiped at the air behind his back. He turned and sliced the spot where she had been standing a second before. Hazel was crouching on the ground, face contorted in concentration.

A wall of earth rose and flooded over Ares like a tsunami. He stood up, growling, and threw his knife up in the air. When it came down, Hazel scrambled but the war god grabbed it firmly by the blade and thrust the hilt into her side with a dull thud.

She stumbled, and instead of trying to detect his next move she tried to stop herself from falling. This proved to be a mistake, because Ares kicked her legs out from under her easily. She was dazed and in pain and was blindly stabbing the air with her spatha.

As I watched Ares hover over her collapsed frame, I realized in a rush that this wasn't a friendly sparring match, or at least as friendly as a match with the god of war could be. He was out for blood and was about to deliver the final blow.

I glanced at Will and saw that he was still recovering from his fight. In a split second I was in between Ares and Hazel, my blade against his, driving him back.

"This isn't your fight, kid." Ares hissed.

"It is when you try to kill my friends. Then it gets personal because by the gods, I didn't go on a quest to save one child of the Underworld and lose another." I hissed back.

With a burst of strength, I knocked his blade out of his hands and when he stumbled, I drove my blade into his upper thigh. He screamed as he fell and I pinned him down, my sword at his throat.

"How- _dare_ \- you. _How dare you_ interfere in my quest and try to kill my friends all while dangling our only hope of success in front of us like the carrot in front of the donkey. I am no donkey, I am no idiot, and I will not be used for your entertainment. I am London Maxwell, daughter of Aphrodite, sister of Brynn and Keith Maxwell, trained by Nico di Angelo, son of Hades and I will not let some _god_ walk all over me or my friends. Leave, or I will put my sword through your face and you can go back to Olympus and tell all the gods just how that happened." 

I got off of him and held out my sword in front of me protectively. He got onto his feet and was silent for a long time. Finally, he chuckled lowly, slowly taking off his shades and meeting my eyes. His expression was calmer than you'd expect the face of defeated war to be.

"You look just like your mother." he said softly.

That caught me off guard. I didn't know how to respond, so I said carefully, "I guess I do carry her tenderness well."

"You both have the same eyes." he mused, examining me.

"Because we're both exhausted." I whispered, and wondered how it must tire the goddess of love to have to overlook so much heartbreak and hate in the world.

"And the hands."

"We share the same wilting fingers." It was one of the only things I had noticed I had in common with Aphrodite. The hands, regal as they seemed, were clad with invisible callouses.

"But the rage," he said with light concern, if it was even possible for the god of war to be concerned. War took and took and never gave. "Your mother doesn't wear that anger."

She does, I wanted to say. She's just better at masking it. Instead I said, "You're right. This rage is the one thing I get from my father."

I turned my back on him and went to Hazel. Will was kneeling by her, analyzing her injuries.

"Come on." I said. "Let's figure out how to get into the Underworld."

Will helped Hazel off the floor. "Okay."

"Half-bloods!" a voice behind us called.

I turned. "What do you want now, Ares?" 

"Thank me later. Your entrance is already open. I shouldn't be telling you this, but, London Maxwell? It is necessary that you take a dip in the River Styx before proceeding with your mission. Absolutely imperative, as Athena would say."

I whirled around to check the waterfall. The water and stone were parted in a 5 by 5 opening into the ground below.

"Why? Is this a trick?" Hazel glared.

"It might ensure your survival. If you don't want to take my advice you're welcome to stay in the Underworld forever, London Maxwell. Normally, I don't think a dip in the Styx would be necessary for a warrior that could have been the outcome of war at its best, but you have to swim in Hades's river. You didn't hear it from me. No hard feelings?"

And with that, Ares vanished, leaving the three of us alone with the entrance to the Underworld.

 **I haven't updated this since November 3, and I am so, so sorry. I have no excuses but I'll try to make you understand anyway. I'm trying to keep my semester average above a 95, study for the SHSAT, not fail any tests, keep a tab on homework, and help care for my brothers while my parents are at work. It's a lot. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, and Winter Break was the prime opportunity for me to catch up on sleep since September. With all that going on, a fanfiction is the least of one's worries.**

 **I've been looking at Dolce Bambina and I realized that it's not going in the direction that I hoped. I'm taking a while to change past chapters while writing a new one, so please understand if you don't see much of me after this. Also you can expect one or two more chapters plus a one to two chapter epilogue for this story.**

 **Okay. Other than that I've gotten into Voltron and can I just say Keith fucking Kogane man. This is my tenth fandom dammit. TENTH.**

 **(Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Hunger Games, Divergent, Fantastic Beasts, Magnus Chase, and Trollhunters.)**

 **Two Nicos. I cannot handle two Nicos. I will die of feels before I ever finish these fics.**

 **Can I also just say KLANCE KLANCE KLANCE KLANCE KLANCE I'M SORRY I ONLY SAW KLANCE IN THAT FIRST EPISODE.**

 **I'm only on the sixth episode but by the time I was halfway through the second I already adopted all five paladins. I have a problem, readers.**

 **But anyway I'm digressing. Happy reading, all!**


	12. Chapter 12

"What the hell was that about?" Hazel turned on me as we journeyed farther down into the tunnel. "Do you know how dangerous dipping in the Styx is? Do you know what it does, what happens if you fail?"

I stared at the ground, which was steadily crawling with permafrost as Demeter began her grieving (seriously Demeter, your daughter is a grown ass woman. Get your shit together).

"I know enough," I said snappishly. "Surviving a swim means you have impenetrable skin. If you don't survive it, your soul gets stripped away from your body and incinerated, carried away with the river."

"Cheery," Will mumbled uneasily, fingering his medical bag as he walked.

"Should we rest a while?" I said quickly before Hazel could badger me more. "I mean, you just fought the war god, Will. So did Hazel. And since we got moving pretty quickly, you guys didn't get the proper time to recover. We _can_ stop if you want."

Will spared me a glance over his shoulder. "Nico used to change the subject too when he didn't want to talk about something."

"Who said I was trying to-"

"And he also got defensive when someone called him out on it." Hazel said without looking up. "Look, we all know you're as shaken up by Ares coming in and trying to kill us all, then telling you you look like your mother and saying you hold a lot of rage in your eyes, then telling you to take a possibly fatal dip in one of the most dangerous rivers of the Underworld. I _get_ it. But you can't _not_ be open about it."

"Fucking watch me."

Will stared at me in open surveillance. "It just occurred that you are _way_ too young to swear as much as you do."

"Does it look like I give a shit?" I deadpanned.

"You should." Hazel commented. "Swearing shows lack of vocabulary."

"Annabeth swears." I countered, and took pride in the fact that she couldn't form a response.

"That isn't the point! The point is that you need to talk with us. How are you going to do this? You need an anchor to the mortal world unless you want your soul incinerated!" Will said swiftly. When Hazel and I stared at him in slight shock- it was strange that a son of Apollo would know this- he rolled his eyes. "Percy never stopped bragging to Annabeth about how she kept him from dying in the river."

"O- _kaaaay_ … back to making sure I stay alive long enough to smack Nico a good one when we bring him back to life." I said awkwardly.

"Right, so you'll have to think of something powerful, something that keeps you mortal in your entir- _whoa_!"

Hazel yelped as she walked straight into a wall of black. I backtracked several feet, sword poised to attack. Will downright shrieked as three large, drooling dog heads bent down to his eye level and started barking like a fire alarm.

"Cerberus, sit _down_!" Hazel shouted above the raucous barking. "For the love of Dad, they aren't dead! There's no need to start scaring the ever-loving shit out of them!"

The guardian of the Underworld cowered and shrank back, whimpering pitifully. Hazel softened and sighed a little.

"Thatta boy, maybe I can talk Percy into bringing Mrs O' Leary over for a playdate soon!" The large dog visibly brightened and woofed loudly.

Will was now clutching his shotgun so hard his tan knuckles were white. He closed his eyes, no doubt composing himself, and warily stepped around Cerberus, making sure to keep his distance.

I worried about him.

But before I could voice my concerns, a distant, whispery wailing caught my attention. Slowly, very slowly, I turned my head and was greeted with a sight that made my gut churn.

How did I not notice this? A huge river, miles wide, littered with all sorts of dreams that people gave up on. I vaguely wondered if mine were in there somewhere. The current was rushing so fiercely that water was being splattered on the bank of the river. But the worst part was the groaning, the wailing of the spirits that apparently were laid to rest in the river. I had gotten used to the weird auras I had been seeing everywhere, but this one startled me. It was glitchy yet solid at the same time, and it seemed to reach out and strangle me, trying to drag me in. To what, I have no idea.

I would have to do it anyway, but I didn't want to do it under the influence of whatever this river was doing to me. There was a scream echoing in the distance, and all our heads snapped up. Even Hazel looked troubled, not even bothering to mask it.

"We- we should hurry." I said shakily, surprised at hearing the tremble in my voice. Will's eyes widened and he weakly pointed behind me. I turned and there was a warrior in Greek battle armor. He looked so much like a god it was scary, but I knew better.

This was Achilles, son of Zeus. Invulnerable save for his heel. And with the luck heroes have, he got struck in that one weak spot. My gaze skittered downwards for a second and my breath caught in my throat at the bloody arrow that speared his ankle.

"Another one…" he shook his head ruefully, and I could tell he meant it. "I will tell you what I told the rest of them- heed my plea, half-blood, turn back! You will be better off not bearing the curse upon your shoulders… half-bloods are not meant to take on the role of Atlas!"

"I- I can't. I have to do this."

"All of them say they must, and I watch as they burn. All except the last two… I see the first one sometimes in Elysium. The second one… you know where he went. I am warning you, niece, turn back!"

"Niece?" I was confused. "Aphrodite is no child of Zeus. She is no child of any Olympian. She is nobody's kin but her own."

His face contorted, then he half-snorted, half-sighed. "You do not know, then. Let the gods know that I have tried… hero, you must keep one part of your body mortal. That point shall anchor your soul to your mortality. Lose sight of it and perish."

"Wait! Don't know what?" I squeaked, panicking.

He gave me a pitying look. Another scream sounded in the background and as if on cue, he vanished.

Now or never, I thought. You _have_ to do this. Nico is counting on you. I wracked my mind for a place that would be next to impossible to reach. I decided it didn't matter if the spot was dignified or not, and concentrated on the arch of the bottom of my left foot. It would be next to impossible to reach.

I breathed deeply, dropping my sword onto the sand, and made a running leap into the river, just as Hazel shrieked, " _WAIT_! I forgot! You have to-"

Styx water filled my ears and her voice was blocked out. I hugged my knees, floating in the murky water. Swimming had never been my strong suit, so I was doing my best not to flail wildly and drown.

It was like stepping into a pit of acid-induced lava. I was pretty sure I could feel my skin being peeled away. I didn't dare open my eyes in case they were going to be burned away too. I held my breath in the darkness, letting the pain wash over me like tidal waves on a shore, eyes shut so hard I could see colours and images swirling together behind my eyelids.

I saw Brynn, who was wiping blood from her face and fixing me with an annoyed glare. "When I said look before you leap because only the good die young I didn't mean this!"

"For the love of-" Keith growled, frustrated. "You're a _child_! Take the world off your shoulders for once in your life, damn it!" She sputtered for a moment, as if she was trying to figure out what to say. Finally, her tone softened, and she said almost defeatedly, "Children shouldn't have to fight to be young."

Her image faded like Brynn's had and I wanted to reach out to someone who wasn't there. I was a kid again, not knowing who the people around me were but knowing that I didn't want to be left alone again.

I was floating in emptiness. My pain was anything but numb. I focused everything in me on the arch of my foot, because I knew if I didn't I would die. A faint whisper rang out in my ears.

" _Hey. Hey- kid- you alright?"_

 _I hesitated, cracking open one eye a bit. I expected my vision to be burned away, but instead I found that the Styx wasn't on my mind at all. I was sitting in the ruins of what was once a building. A house. I was clinging to someone- they weren't moving. Why weren't they moving? Why weren't they waking up?_

" _HEY! Hey, Nico! There's a kid over here- Pan's pipes, there's a kid over here!"_

 _I heard pounding footsteps. Someone in black approached me cautiously. My face felt hot and splotchy. My cheeks were wet. The person still wasn't moving._

" _Hi," the person whispered, crouching down. "I'm Nico. Can you tell me what your name is?"_

 _I sniffled, shaking my head. I felt so small. Scared. "Can you wake her up?" I choked out, looking up at Nico._

 _He looked taken aback, and glanced back at the other guy, who was wearing a beanie and had a wispy beard. I recognized them as the men who had helped when the monsters came._

" _Can you wake her up? Please?" I repeated, more tears spilling down my cheeks._

 _He shook his head slowly. "I'm- I'm sorry. I'm not a healer and- even if I were, I couldn't help her."_

 _Nico and the other man glanced at other, talking with their eyes. The other man looked at me. "I'm Grover. Grover Underwood. You need to come with us. We'll take you somewhere safe."_

" _I don't_ want _to go somewhere safe!" I burst out thickly. "I want her to wake up!"_

" _I understand. I know what that feels like, but those things- the monsters- they're going to come back for you if you don't come with us. We're going to take you somewhere safe. Somewhere for special people, like me… and Grover… and you."_

" _B- but, my family… I don't have a family anymore. Who's going to take care of me? What if the people at the place don't want me? And I'm not supposed to go anywhere with strangers, Brynn and K-Keith told me that-"_

" _Listen. If we'd wanted to hurt you, we'd have done it already. Like those monsters were trying to," Grover said in a hushed tone, looking over his shoulder worriedly._

" _Grover. Be quiet. You're scaring her even more," Nico said firmly. Then he turned back to me. "How about this. You take my sword, hold onto it for me. If anything happens, you can use it. I won't have anything to attack you with and nothing to defend myself with." He took a black sword off his belt and offered it to me. With shaky hands, I accepted it. It seemed like a rite of passage, a peace offering. I stood up, doing my best to look not as scared as I felt._

" _We'll take you somewhere safe. We'll be your new family, alright?" he promised as he looked at me with soft eyes and held out his hand._

 _I took his hand and burst into even harsher sobs as dark enveloped the three of us and the destroyed house vanished._

I curled up on my side as I flopped onto the bank of the river. I could literally smell the smoke from the singed edges of my clothing curling in the dank air of the Underworld.

Will lunged forward, arm extended, but I refused.

"No- no, I can do this. I'm _fine_ , Will, get the 'doctor' look off your face," I insisted, hauling myself to my feet. I was swaying on the spot and my skin was raw and red but other than that I was fine. "Let's keep going."

I finally noticed Hazel gaping at me. "What?" I asked, kind of annoyed.

"You shouldn't have been able to survive that, " she said, surprised. "You- you should be dead right now."

" _What_?"

"Nico and I did some research on the invulnerability blessing," she explained. "You know, before he died. And we figured out that you didn't need exclusively your mother's blessing to attempt the swim- you could have had either parent's blessing."

"But Aphrodite never told me I could do this," I said, starting to panic. "And I don't have a father, I never did-"

"We know," Will said soothingly, putting a hand on my shoulder. I relaxed a little bit, enough to untense my shoulders. "That's why we're trying to figure this out. But the important thing is that you're alive, okay?"

"Did… did it work?" I asked dazedly. My head was starting to spin. I thought only old people got migraines.

"Do you mind if I test that theory?" Hazel asked carefully. "I'm not gonna stab you hard or anything, just prick your finger with a needle. Will, I'm assuming you have a needle on hand?"

"Never leave camp without one," he said, drawing a syringe out of his fanny pack.

I shifted on my feet, muscles tensing almost immediately. The weird colourful auras behind them felt kind. Worried, but kind. They wouldn't try to hurt me. They wouldn't.

Even as I tried telling myself this, when Hazel took my clammy, still raw arm and attempted to probe it with the needle part of the syringe, not injecting empty air into my system for obvious reasons, I still yanked my arm out of her gentle grip and took a few steps back.

There was a pained expression in her eyes. Will's gaze seemed to pierce through my skull. It was making me dizzy.

"Do you want to do it yourself?" Hazel prompted gently. I nodded, relieved, and took the needle from her with fingers I didn't realize were trembling. I pressed it against my arm. There would have been enough pressure to break, but instead it shuddered and made no imprint upon the skin.

"Guess it worked, then," Will mumbled, more to himself than any of us.

Hazel was standing in front of a now dozing guardian of the Underworld, beckoning us forward.

"We should get going. It's better to finish the quest as quickly as possible. We don't have any time to waste, and I don't think Nico will be an easy one to convince." Hazel pressed her lips together, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I picked my sword up. "We have to convince him?"

"Well, we can't drag him out of here kicking and screaming, now, can we?" Will spoke up, smiling. "Imagine- the three of us, dragging Nico di Angelo- _only living son of Hades, Ghost King, hero of Olympus_ , _war veteran of the Second Titan War and Gaea-_ out of the Underworld by his ear while he shouts profanity and several Italian 'pleasantries' at us."

The image it conjured up made me smile in spite of myself. "How will we get his consent?" I questioned as the three of us continued down the path.

"I'm not really sure," Hazel admitted. "It's been so long since we spoke… I tried summoning him at least twice a day for the first couple of weeks or so after he died, and finally Dad told me to stop. Nico didn't want to be summoned, he told me. He wanted me to let him be."

"If only I had charmspeak…" I sighed. "Piper gets all the good powers from Mom. I'm stuck with the ability to manipulate _makeup_."

"But you're a really good fighter. You've gotta give Aphrodite points for that," Will shrugged.

"Or my dad, bless his deadbeat ass. Hell, I'm not discriminating. It could have even been a woman. Either way, I'm just saying I feel like I should at least remember them a little bit, but I just… _can't_. They had me up until I was about a year and a half old, and then some woman gave me to my foster family. Well, I shouldn't call Brynn and Keith that. They were better family than my biological ones ever were," I said bitterly.

"Well, normally I would deny that, but it's actually pretty true," Hazel said. "I mean, my mom wasn't the _best_ parent, but she did try. She was willing to die if I could live. It wasn't her fault she got possessed by Gaea."

"My mom was a good parent," Will added on thoughtfully. "She had a stable household, remarried after a few years, had some kids… I was never any different, even though I was half Greek god. In fact, we embraced it."

"I wonder what my other parent was like," I mused, swinging my sword as I walked along. "The godly part of me is all Aphrodite, and she tried, I guess, but the mortal part of me is all them. Did I have a mom or a dad? Did they want me? Did they choose to give me up? Are they alive? Dead? Who knows, certainly not me."

"Maybe Dad could tell you that," Hazel said. "I don't think he'd refuse. Oh look, we're here."

I looked up and saw a huge castle, one that no one less than a king would dare to lay eyes upon. There was about a hundred yards between us and the structure. I recognized the grounds as Persephone's garden, the most beautiful garden on Earth. Hazel moved confidently through the shimmering flowers and swaying grasses like this was a path she had walked many times. Oh, wait, it probably was.

"My little brothers and sisters thought my being half god was the coolest thing- _hey Will- can you do your thing with the sunlight? Can you heal my scrape?_ Course, the Mist would obstruct most of their vision, but they enjoyed it nonetheless," Will smiled, speaking mostly to himself at this point.

"Will," I said, "when was the last time you visited your family?"

"It's been a while, actually. I don't know how exactly I'm going to explain this sudden absence to my professors at college- you know, since I randomly disappeared a few days before winter break- but hopefully I can work something out."

"I could pull a few strings with the Mist," Hazel offered. "If I don't, we'll probably never hear the end of your complaining about getting kicked out of med school because of this quest."

"Hazel Levesque, you are a fucking _godsend_."

"I try," she smiled back.

The castle was so close. Everything we'd worked for over the past few weeks was within arm's reach.

A third scream echoed through the air, closer than the other two that we had heard near the Styx had been. It sounded frustrated and defiant and pained all at once. It sent chills down my spine.

"Who's screaming?" I whispered, mouth dry. "This is, like, the third one we've heard- screams in the Underworld are a normal thing, aren't they?"

"Not usually," Hazel answered. "Punishment is farther from here. You'd have to be extremely close to hear the screams. Recently Dad decided he doesn't like the screams of the damned to bother him while he's eating or whatever."

We stopped right in front of the castle's open doors. Like she had done before, she moved forward first. She seemed to be the new leader for now, which both kind of irked me and kind of relieved me. This quest was _my_ responsibility, but at the same time the thought of not having to lead all the time was extremely appealing.

A shiver went down my back. For some reason, I felt as if I'd been here before. The land felt familiar. The thing was, nothing was compelling me to- in fact, it was quite the opposite. Fight or flight were warring in my head, and for one of the first times in my life, flight was winning.

The castle was made of black obsidian and polished marble, with glimmering bronze floors. Every side door was guarded by skeletons, armed with weapons and in tattered war uniforms. This place was definitely fit for the God of Wealth, that was for sure.

"Where is Hades's throne room?" I asked Hazel with a newfound determination. "This is the realm of the Dead. It would be proper to pay our respects before going further. Maybe he won't blast us upon first sight, then. Maybe he'll even help us."

"Why would he blast us?" Hazel asked, confused. "If Dad didn't want us to find the palace in the first place, we'd be wandering around for eternity."

"Oh." I blanked, then shrugged. "Welp, I guess I should have read up on the Underworld before we decided to go questing, then."

"We came to a door guarded by two skeletons in Marine uniforms. They glanced at Hazel, then Will, and then me. They shared a look, stepped aside, and the door swung open.

Personally, I felt kind of offended. I'd built up an image of Hades as this glowering deity who radiated death and gloom and anarchy. Instead?

The Lord of the Dead was laughing. Not an evil cackle, but a beautiful, genuine laugh that sounded so much like Nico's used to. He was hugging a smaller figure- literally picking them up off the ground in an embrace- and they were laughing together, spinning around and stumbling a little bit as they did so.

"Didn't you say it was the winter solstice?" I whispered to Hazel, who nodded while suppressing laughter.

"So… is that Persephone?" Will asked.

She nodded once more before absolutely losing it. And by losing it, I mean downright _losing it_.

Hades's pale face flushed, eyes widening comically as he and his wife both whipped around at the exact same moment. He nearly dropped Persephone in his surprise, scrambling backwards towards his throne.

"S-sorry, dad- but- gods, _get a room_ -" Hazel managed to choke out.

"This _is_ my room, Hazel! This is literally _my_ throne room- why do you never knock?" He buried his face in his hands, groaning.

"I just wanted to pay my fucking respects," I grumbled under my breath.

Persephone was not smiling. For one brief moment of pure terror, I thought that if Hades wasn't going to blast us to bits then his wife certainly would.

She seemed to be staring right at me. "Daughter of Aphrodite," she inclined her head in my direction. "Son of Apollo, and stepdaughter. You really should come visit more, Hazel, just because you're a war hero now and have a boyfriend- absolutely adorable, by the way, the sweetest thing- I've missed your company.

"I've been a little busy, Seph, sorry about that. Maybe next week, Friday? You just got here, remember?"

"It's a date," she agreed, though she was still looking at me. Did I know her? She had a knowing look in her eyes, almost like pity. I moved my sword from hand to hand, trying to distract myself from just about everything.

Hades sighed, pulling himself into a sitting position on his throne. He, too, stared straight at me.

"I've been expecting you, child of the gods. I have been tracking your progress- admittedly, you worried me a few times, but you seemed to pull through well enough. We were not prepared for your detour at the Waystation, however. Nonetheless, I would have hated to have to send a Fury in after you- Alecto has been remarkably bitter about carrying out my orders after Jackson and Yancy Academy. But I am digressing. The point is that you are in my realm now, and as long as you remain here you will be safe. My realm has kept you safe once… just barely, and I was punished severely for it by Zeus… but it had worked." There was an urgency to his voice that made my muscles tense.

"What do you mean by 'child of the gods,' and why were you watching me?" I asked, tightening my grip on Reaper. "What did any of that mean?!" 

"I am glad to see you haven't lost any of your spunk, even after all these years. I mean none of you any harm. But it is the winter solstice, Zeus suspects me enough as it is. This is the first winter in eleven years that I have seen my wife, and I risk everything again to take you under my protection. Demeter has kept the seasons changing for sake of not raising any suspicion, but in Olympus there is a war brewing. And you, my child, are at very the center of it all."

"Could you… elaborate, maybe?" Will asked, voice rising a few octaves. "I doubt any of us know what you mean by that. All due respect, Lord Hades, but we came to complete our quest."

"Your quest will be completed. Everything will be explained. You must come with me, _now_." Hades stood from his throne and moved to the back of the throne room.

"But-" Will began to protest, only to be cut off.

"Has your hearing failed you, son of Apollo? The most powerful healer since Asclepius, and yet you cannot see that your failure to obey my husband's commands _will_ result in the death of you and your companions. Is that your wish?" Persephone growled. Will shook his head quickly. "Then I suggest you go."

"Thank you, darling," Hades smiled at her before turning his attention back to us. "You don't have much time. Here is a secret passage that Zeus should not be able to detect. It will lead you somewhere where no one will find you unless you wish to be found by them."

I studied Hades and Persephone carefully. Their auras didn't seem to be particularly malicious, and this weird power had been spot-on so far. Could I trust it completely?

Will tugged me along to the back of the room, where, behind the thrones, there was what seemed like a plain wall. Hades knelt and felt the wall. He stopped at a certain point, tapped it three times with his index finger, and an opening grew in the wall.

Only Hazel had not moved. "Dad, I want to stay and help. You never _told_ me that Persephone was prohibited from the Underworld for the past decade! You told me not to summon Nico because he didn't want to be summoned. You told me not to do so many things for the sake of not doing them. I'm done not being told, Dad, and I'm done running."

"If Zeus sees you here," Hades rumbled, "he will not be kind to either of us. He did not hesitate to kill Maria di Angelo, he had tried to murder Nico and Bianca many times. I refuse to lose my only living child to-"

The ground literally started quaking as something thundered down the hallways. Or, rather, someone.

"HADES!" the voice bellowed. "WHERE ARE YOU HIDING? THIS MAY BE YOUR REALM, BUT I RULE OVER YOU. I AM THE KING OF THE GODS, AND YOU CANNOT HIDE THE CHILD FOREVER!"

Hades paled. "In the entrance. Now."

Hazel glanced at the entrance and back at the doors, which were shaking on their hinges as Zeus assaulted them like they were a mortal he thought was hot. Alright, maybe that's going a little too far, but you get my point.

Will and I scurried inside. At the last second, Hazel scrambled inside and we watched as the opening was knit itself back closed.

I heard the doors break down and froze up. The pounding of my heart seemed too loud.

"Where is she?" I heard Zeus growl.

"The child is not here," Hades answered suavely. "I would not dare to take her again after what happened the first time."

"I doubt that."

"I have seen my wife for the first time in eleven years. Do you really think I would do anything so foolish to lose her again?"

"You would," he countered. "You, the eldest of us all, have such a bold sense of morality that you would do this because you seek justice for the dead and peace for the living, and the only times you are truly violent are when you feel as if you have been wronged greatly. You would hide the godling in your realm even if it meant being punished, even if it meant losing something dear for you. "

"People will always believe in death," Hades whispered so quietly I wouldn't have heard him if I wasn't holding my breath. "Even if they do not believe in us, they believe in the afterlife- the eternal. Someday, I will finally have beaten you at something. My land is the land where families are reunited, where sinners are put to justice and heroes rewarded. The ironic thing is that justice is your job, not mine. But I guess we all saw how doomed that job occupation was right from the start."

"The girl was not meant to live! Your son defied Fate for her. They both should have died in the end," Zeus sneered. "No mortal has ever turned Fate around!"

"You will not speak about my stepson that way! He died honourably, a hero's death. And you wanted the girl dead because she was powerful. She could have overthrown you if she had stayed. She is the child of two gods, with the essence of the rest of them woven into her being. London Maxwell was a threat to you, and you attempted to dispose of her because of it. You would have succeeded if Hades and I had not stepped in and taken her in the Underworld." Persephone had stepped up, her voice echoing in the chamber. My head seemed to be spinning.

 _Child of two gods? Essence of the rest woven into her being?_

"She poses a threat to all of us! Do you not realize how dangerous she is?"

"She was known as the the Bringer of Anarchy to unrepentant sinners and the Protector of the Innocent to mortals! She wields a sword made of Stygian iron and the blood of ancient warriors! Of course she is dangerous, and maybe if you weren't such a coward you could accept that and help her channel that power in a healthy way!" Hades bellowed, seeming to lose his cool.

Shaking and without a word, I got to my feet and started moving slowly down the tunnel-like passage. I heard the footsteps that I recognized as my friends' behind me. The silence between us all was stunned. None of us wanted to address what we had just heard.

Maybe it was better that way.


	13. Chapter 13

We were silent, perhaps trying to digest what we had overheard. The ground was trembling slightly, but not enough to throw us off balance. Somehow I felt that none of which we just heard was for us to hear.

The silence seemed almost suffocating, and I for one was hoping it would stay that way. I've always been good at ignoring the elephant in the room- er, _tunnel._

Hazel suddenly gasped. She clapped a hand over her mouth sheepishly and looked at us, gesturing ahead.

 _A_ (very literal) _light at the end of the tunnel._

"Let's go. _Carefully_ ," Will whispered, putting emphasis on the last word.

Hades had said we would be safe wherever the tunnel wound up. And if safe meant away from the tremors emanating from the throne room… well, you get the point.

We hastened our steps anyway to the point where we were basically sprinting. Including Will, that hypocrite.

The light was getting closer. _Just a few more yards and we'd be out of this tunnel and away from the throne room-_

I yelped as someone grabbed my shirt from behind and yanked me back. I stumbled and managed to catch my balance, hands resting on my knees for support.

I wheeled around, a little pissed off.

"Who the fuck did that?"

Will simply raised an eyebrow and pointed over my shoulder. I glanced behind me and saw this huge chasm, looking to be at least 20 feet across and I don't even _know_ how deep. There was something that resembled a longer, slimmer version of a log that went across.

Oh _hell_ fucking no.

"Do you ever look where you're going, Maxwell?" Will asked me. I adamantly shook my head and he rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess, we have to cross this, right? Like people in those Indiana Jones type movies?" Hazel said and I shrugged.

"Probably."

"How are we gonna do it?" Will asked anxiously.

"How else?" I said, and walked over to the skinny-log-thing. I secured my sword in its sheath and got down on my hands and knees. I crawled over to the edge of the log-thing and hooked my arms around it, hugging it. I started scooting my way across in a way that was probably undignified, but it was better than dying.

After a few minutes, I managed to scoot myself most of the way across. I was going at a decent pace and within another minute I was on the other side of the chasm, catching my breath.

"Come on!" I called, and I could almost _see_ Will's brow furrowing.

"Like that?"

" _Yes,_ like that, Solace!"

Silence. I sighed and shook my head.

"Look, here's the thing. There's this thing called the center of gravity- yeah, it exists. You think you'll look stupid hugging the log-thing and scooting your butt across it? You'll look even dumber during the dramatic moment where you almost die because your damn self wanted to look _cool_."

"It has nothing to do with looking _cool_. But what if we slip or lose our grip? Will your center of gravity help us then?"

"Just hold on tight and trust me, damnit."

I heard a resigned noise and soon Will and Hazel were standing on the same side of the chasm as me, looking disgruntled.

"I can't believe you made me do that," he said. "Hazel could have manipulated the earth or something."

"I can't believe you're still alive," I shot back, unsheathing my sword. "Now let's get moving. The tunnel actually leads into open space from here."

We started walking again, only this time I could feel Hazel's eyes fixed on me.

"London. You can't ignore what happened in the throne room forever."

I blanched, not looking at her. "Yes, I can."

"You can't. London-"

"Hazel, please- not now." I pressed my lips together. "Later, I promise. But not now- _please_?"

I could hear the breath puffing past her lips. I knew she was worried about me. _I_ was worried about me.

What seemed like sunlight was splattered across the ground in front of us. A musical sound was meeting my ears, a tinkling laugh, like a thousand pealing wind chimes ringing in an early morning breeze.

"We used to go to the park on the corner every Sunday after church where your father would meet us at 2:00- _ogni settimana, senza fallo_ \- and then to Antoni's gelato parlor. Your sister would always get tiramisu-" A soft, thickly accented voice was cut off by another equally soft one.

"You and Dad would share chocolate," it continued with an air of something I couldn't identify- something exhilarated and breathless and _good_. "And I-"

"Could never decide," the other voice laughed. The sound made the corners of my lips turn up a little. I didn't realize I was moving forward until Hazel reached out and grabbed my arm. "Some days it would be _gianduja_ , others it would be _pistacchio_ , or _vaniglia-_ and sometimes you would pass up gelato altogether in favor of a cannoli from your favorite bakery."

"I remember," the other voice breathed.

Hazel squeezed my hand and then let go, and together the three of us inched into the clearing.

"I remember," they repeated. "It's been so long… I never remembered those moments because they seemed to miniscule and _lost_ and now they seem like times that should have stuck-"

" _Mio figlio_ , _mio tesoro_ , do not blame yourself. It was a circumstance beyond your control. I had hoped to never have to see you here for many years… and yet here you are."

The owners of the voices came into view. Two people- a boy and a woman, it looked like- were sitting on a blanket under a tree, facing each other.

I took a tentative step forward and craned my neck, successfully catching a glimpse of their faces.

My sword hit the ground.

"Here I am," Nico di Angelo whispered, looking happier than I had ever seen him when he was alive.

Hazel put one hand over my mouth and swiftly snatched the sword up the other, dragging Will and I behind a large oak tree and out of sight. She looked at us, golden eyes wide.

"My gods," was all she said. "My _gods_."

"Who is that?" Will whispered.

We peeked out from behind the tree in a manner that would've been almost comical if it hadn't been so nerve-wracking. I took in the woman and I took in Nico.

The woman had large, soft, dark brown doe's eyes and thick black hair that cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall of ashes. Her skin was olive tinted and youthful. She was wearing a black dress and elegant black gloves. A veiled hat was set beside her on the grass.

I watched as they shifted positions, their backs now facing us. Nico let his head rest on her shoulder.

"Tell me, _mio tesoro_ \- what was your life like when you were alive? For so long you have refused to tell me… for so long it has felt as if you are hiding something from me," the woman said slowly.

"I'm not hiding anything from you," Nico protested. "It's just… _difficult_ to come to terms with all I've left behind."

"Perhaps one day, _il mio bambino ombra_ ," she mused.

" _My shadow child_?"

"Yes. My shadow child. Your father always feared you would be hated during your life because of who he was. He loved you and your sister so very, very much… however, his love would not be able to change your fate… or hers." 

"She was a good sister," Nico insisted. "She wanted the best. But she also wanted freedom for herself. I wonder sometimes… did she get tired of loving me? Were death and immortality better alternatives to having to care for me another day?"

" _Non pensare a questi pensieri_ ," she chided him.

Nico mumbled an apology. We stood with bated breath, barely daring to breathe.

Finally:

"After she died, I was lost. I was so far gone. I was in mourning and confused and bitter and I ran away. I did some messed up things. I convinced Dad to aid us in the Battle of Manhattan. Seph and Demeter showed up too. We kicked Titan butt. Then that summer happened. Percy went missing… and I met someone."

"And who would that be?"

"Her name was Hazel. Hazel Levesque."

This time it was Hazel who nearly dropped her weapon.

"When the Doors of Death opened I went down to see if I could bring _her_ back. Turns out she had been chosen to be reborn. And then I bumped into Hazel. She was a daughter of Pluto who remembered her past. All I could think as I looked down at her, knowing what she had sacrificed, was: _She's my sister too._ So I brought her back."

"Hazel Levesque." The woman tried the name out on her tongue. It flowed awkwardly and wobbled and broke, but she didn't seem to mind.

"I never regretted a thing. She was… everything I wanted for and then some. She was one of the only things I stayed alive for then. She had already lost so much. She didn't need to lose something else. I wonder sometimes… if she ever thought of herself as a replacement for _her_. Gods, I hope she never thought that. Hazel was so much more."

"She sounds like a remarkable young lady. I hope to meet her someday in the future. May she live long and prosper well."

Nico took a deep breath. "And after that was the Prophecy of the Seven. Hazel was one of them. I went sightseeing in Tartarus for a while. I got out, got captured by giants, was rescued, delivered the Parthenos to Camp with Reyna and Coach Hedge- you would've loved them. When we got back to Camp, I met the most annoying person I'd probably ever come across in my life. His name was Solace- Will Solace, a son of Apollo. A stupidly annoying, doctor-y son of Apollo."

A pause.

"He was a good friend, though. I'll give him that."

Will's cheeks coloured slightly. I wondered briefly if he'd mention me, but he seemed to be done with his story.

"Tell me, Niccolo- did you ever meet anyone in the above world? Not a friend, per se, but a-" The woman waved her hand vaguely, eyebrows knitted together. " _Sei mai stato qualcuno?_ "

"Was I ever someone's someone? What does that mean?"

"To be someone's someone. Your father was my someone and I like to think I was his… or one of them."

It was like the last puzzle piece being snapped into the picture.

"So this is Maria di Angelo," Hazel mumbled.

He had her skin. Her hair. Her large brown eyes.

I closed my eyes and tightened my grip on the tree as sudden tremor jolted the earth. Nico seemed happy here in this place.

"The quest," I muttered. "He looks happy, but the quest…"

The question of what to do hung in the air. Hazel answered it for us.

She marched out from behind the tree and stood behind Nico, casting her shadow over them.

He looked up.

His eyes widened.

It was like the calm before the storm.

 **Alright,,,,,**

 **I have nothing to say for myself.**

 **Just kidding!**

 **SO. It's been a while, yes. But I've also had other WIPs (seventeen and counting) and I've mainly started using Ao3. My user on there is hoard_of_stars if any of y'all wanna check it out, but that's besides the point. I will be putting a list of all my WIPs on both of my profiles eventually and the order in which I plan to finish them. But I had this waiting and just so you all know I'm NOT abandoning this! I still have so many ideas and since me from a year ago was an awful, cringey writer who wrote Perfect Characters with a Sprinkle of Fault™, this will be undergoing major editing after it's finished (whenever that may be). The plotline will stay the same, for the most part.**

 **Happy reading, all!**


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